


Just One Dance?

by styl



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: 80's Music, Diners, F/F, Supportive Earp Siblings (Wynonna Earp), Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-05-07 04:44:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14663577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/styl/pseuds/styl
Summary: Purgatory, 1983.Nicole Haught is 22, she works at the Sheriff's station three times a week as an officer, which usually consists of her sorting out files, and has a part-time job as Shorty's, diner by day and a quirky nightclub by night.Waverly Earp is 20, she works at Purgatory High as the senior's cheerleading coach, a competitive team that performs at as many games for any sport possible.Waverly and Nicole interact with one another once a week on Wednesdays, across the counter, as Waverly orders drinks for her team. They both love Wednesdays.





	1. Take a Sip

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! So this is my first Wayhaught fic ever so I hope you enjoy! I'll try and update whenever I can.
> 
> ENJOY!!

**Chapter One: Take a Sip**

The familiar creaking of the door sounded, as Waverly Earp held it open with her body weight as a group of sixteen to eighteen-year-olds entered Shorty's Diner, all separating into smaller groups within booths. She looked around and realised a girl was missing.

"Carter?" She called, shifting her body to peak outside Shorty's, where she saw Carter nervously trying to peek through the window, looking at the different cliques of girls.

"I don't think this is a good idea. I should just start my shift early." Carter said, fidgeting with her hands knowing she had a shift at Shorty's in about fifteen minutes, which was usually how long the cheerleading team stayed to have their milkshakes before leaving to go hang out at the local park.

Waverly knew Carter from when she tried out for cheerleading when she was in twelfth grade and Carter was in tenth. At first, they wouldn't allow her to try out for the volleyball due to there only being an all boys team, but during the tryouts she proved herself to be the best player, landing her a spot on the team. Waverly realised that after cheerleading training, which was also after volleyball training, Carter would always go straight home and not to the arcade with her teammates, so Waverly decided it would be a good idea to invite her along to the cheer squads dine-ins.

"Come here," she gestured as Carter shuffled towards her in her blue and white volleyball tank top, shorts, and white shoes, Waverly gently placed both hands on the sides of Carter's arms, "You are a strong, amazing person that I know my girls will love. You should go sit with the rest of the girls in your year and just talk. If you start to feel uncomfortable, then you can come sit with me, okay?"

Carter nodded shyly, but with increasing confidence, "I wouldn't want to interrupt your chats with Haughty though," she joked as she slipped past Waverly who still had her weight against the door holding it open.

" _Shhh_ ," she answered a little shocked as Carter slightly giggled and went to sit with the seniors.

The closing creak of the door rang in Nicole Haught’s ears, turning away from her book that was placed next to the milkshake maker, she spotted Waverly Earp in a baby pink midriff, light blue jeans and white runners. Her hair was in a high pony, that slightly swayed from side to side each step she took until she reached the counter. Nicole tried not to stare at her, but she couldn't help it, she wondered how someone could look as good as Waverly Earp and have such a big heart to match it. After a quick glance at the clock, Nicole struck Waverly with a dimpled smile, "3:46. A minute late, are you letting yourself go, Earp? No longer the perfect student I used to know, huh?"

Waverly smiled, she couldn't help herself, she always got really nervous about the thought of talking to Nicole, but whenever she heard her polite and happy voice, it was like all her nerves flew away, and it was usually followed by flirting entered the conversation.

"Carter came today, she's a little nervous." She assured her.

Nicole expression changed as she glanced over to see Carter, who she had known for about two years since she started working day shifts after school. The song on the jukebox boosted up as a cheerleader put in a few coins, and _Toto’s ‘Africa_ ’ started playing. Nicole looked back to Waverly, who was now sitting on one of the red stools, leaning forward, slightly moving her head to the rhythm. Nicole grinned, most of the music on the jukebox wasn’t exactly her style, but she loved the way it made others feel happy, the way it made Waverly feel happy. Snapping out of her being distracted by the Earp girl, she got back on topic.

“Yeah, thanks for doing this by the way. It’s really kind of you. She was telling me the other day that she didn’t really feel close to anyone at the school- which explained why she’s usually here after school doing her homework. I just want to make sure she has some friends you know?” Nicole explained.

Waverly was capsulated by the way Nicole could talk about caring for someone to the point where she would go out of her way to make sure they were happy. Waverly stared into the abyss of Nicole’s chocolate button eyes that she didn’t realise that all twenty girls all motioned the drum solo of the song and began yelling out the chorus. Waverly spun the stool around to look at them all, Carter was giggling and quietly singing along.

Spinning her chair back around she was faced with a dimpled smile on Nicole’s face. _God, Waverly, get your shit together. Drinks. We are here for drinks, not for me to stare at Nicole’s dimples and hair and-_

“Drinks!” Waverly said a little too loudly as an attempt to try and stop her thoughts.

Nicole jerked back, slightly startled as Waverly broke the short moment of silence they had, which consisted of Nicole admiring how Waverly was so invested in her team’s wellbeing.

“Happy hour starts at 7 Waverly.” Nicole teased with a crooked smile on her face.

“No not like that-“, Waverly joked back, turning back outwards towards the booths, “-have we got all the orders written down?”

“I’ve got ‘em,” Carter answered, walking up to Waverly and Nicole with a piece of paper in her hand that had names of drinks with tallies beside them for how many to order.

“I’ve got to say,” Carter said handing Nicole the list, “these girls are insane, I mean, our milkshakes are amazing I’ve got to say, and none of them ordered one!”

Waverly laughed, “Most of them diet, they usually have a milkshake at least once a month, don’t worry.”

Carter looked to Nicole for confirmation, not fully believing Waverly’s statement, to which Nicole answered with a nod. Carter smiled at the both of them, knowing that Nicole had a crush on Waverly. It was quite obvious to her, as Nicole would constantly be asking about Waverly, even though Nicole knew she wasn’t a cheerleader. She nodded her head back in response and went back to her table where she had settled in a little with the group of girls in her year.

Waverly adjusted her top nervously, and asked, “So, what’s the order today?”

“Pretty much the same as always; twelve Coca-Colas, five Pepsis, two waters, and, woah- a special surprise!” Nicole announced to Waverly acting shocked.

“A surprise! What on earth could that be? Perhaps, a milkshake?” Waverly laughed to herself as Nicole joined.

“Spot-on! One singular vanilla milkshake.” Nicole answered with a dimpled smile, turning around to grab the bottled drinks out of the freezer, placing them on the counter two seats away from Waverly, as the girls came and went, picking up their orders.

“Actually, make that two,” Waverly said after a short pause.

Nicole turned back from her spot at the milkshake machine, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, after I turn twenty-one I think people may not take me as seriously as they would with any other adult if they see me sitting here, drinking a milkshake. One more for the road.” Waverly admitted. She had felt people didn’t take her seriously for most of her life due to her sister being sent off to mental hospitals when she was younger. It took Waverly a while to get the word “crazy” out of people’s vocabularies to describe her, and she had finally gotten to the point where people would respect her. She didn’t want to ruin what she had spent all of her teenage years working for.

“Why would anyone not take you seriously for drinking a milkshake?” Nicole asked, a little uncertain of what Waverly was talking about.

“Well,” Waverly started, dragging her right index finger up and down the counter nervously, “- I guess it’s because people used to point out all the little things I did that seemed _un-normal_ and would then say I’ve got the case of the ‘Crazy Earp’ disease. I guess, I just- people might think that it’s childish. I don’t know, it sounds kind of dumb when I say it out loud.”

Waverly dips her head down and stares at her hands. “Hey, no that’s not the case,” Nicole says, moving towards Waverly, placing her hands into Waverly’s for reassurance. Waverly looks up, her eyes steady on her, the reflection from some of the blue and pink neon light from the menu board just below the roof glow on the Earp girls eyes. Nicole could feel her heart skip a beat, as a rush of warmth fell upon her body as she and Waverly locked eyes. Nicole swallowed, counted to three in her head and asked in a quiet voice, “I mean, if you feel like people might look at your or something, I could always join you.”

“What?” Waverly could feel her stomach twisting and turning from excitement and nervousness.

Nicole and Waverly had never talked apart from when Waverly came into Shorty’s. They never talked when they were in school together because of the age difference, along with the fact that Waverly was a cheerleader and Nicole was on the track team.

Realising her hands were still on Waverly’s, she nervously took them off gently and continued, “Well you know Shorty’s diner closes at 5, and Shorty’s bar opens at 7. That leaves this place empty for at least an hour and a half, I could totally make us some milkshakes. I mean only if you mind the wait, of course.” Nicole was actually happy for once that there was a counter between them, or else Waverly would see how much her legs were shaking.

Waverly grinned with one side of her mouth, and dipping her head shyly, and in a breath, she said, “I’d think I’d like that.”

Waverly’s heart was racing, and as Nicole turned around to make Carter’s milkshake, her smile grew large. She was finally going to be able to talk to Nicole for longer than a few minutes, which she had been dreaming of ever since she saw the redhead running track on the first day she had just joined the cheer squad.

Nicole faced back from Waverly towards the milkshake machine, placing down the milk, ice cream and flavouring she needed for the shake. She couldn’t stop smiling, she has been wanting to ask Waverly if she wanted to hang out after her shifts for a while now, but she was always so nervous to do so that most of their conversations ended with _“Here’s your change.”_ Trying to keep her cool, she made the milkshake and took it over to Carter’s table as the song changed to _Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran_.

“One vanilla milkshake,” Nicole announced, placing the milkshake in front of Carter, who almost didn’t notice because she was engaged in conversation with the seniors. Nicole was happy that Carter was starting to settle in with the other girls, she could see her coming out of her shell.

“Oh, thanks, Nicole.” She popped out as she spotted the shake, flashing a quick smile at Nicole, taking a sip, and entering back into the conversation.

Waverly hadn’t taken her eyes off Nicole, she loved watching her work swiftly, cheerfully and focused. Nicole walked back towards the counter in her black converse, black skinny jeans and white lace top. Her short red hair held her head high, somehow making her look taller. She picked up her book that was placed on the counter, positioned a bookmark on the page she was on and closed it as she made her way to lean up against the counter facing against Waverly.

Waverly took the book out of her hands, briefly brushing her hand against Nicole’s, sending a tingling sensation up Nicole’s arms. “ _To Kill a Mocking Bird_? You’re reading a _school book_?”

“My class never read it, we read _Anne Frank’s Diary_ instead. I felt like I was missing out on something.” Nicole said as Waverly fidgeted with the corners of the pages which had already curved out due to being an old copy.

“Hey, neither did my class.” Waverly perked up,” Is it any good?”

Nicole answered with a nod. She observed as Waverly read the blurb on the back, the music from the jukebox felt like it started to mute in her ears as she stared at the Earp girl. The calmness of her presents made Nicole want to hold onto her and not let anyone hurt her. It felt like they were alone, just the two of them, in their own bubble. Waverly’s hair fell slightly in front of her face, making her look smaller in frame. Nicole so badly wanted to move the hair away from her face and hold her head in her hands, but she didn’t. She kept to herself as Waverly completed reading the blurb.

“Oh, sorry, do you want it back?” Waverly asked in a rush as she finished reading and noticed Nicole looking at her, she held the book out in Nicole’s direction as she had realised she had taken it without asking.

“No, no, it’s okay. You can read it while you wait if you want.” Nicole assured her as she leaned back, away from the counter as a customer walked up to make an order.

“Uh, okay, thanks.” She said as she watched Nicole take the mans order, before hearing the creek of the door that was followed by the footsteps of cheerleaders, Carter making her way towards the counter next to Waverly. “You okay?” Waverly asked.

“Yeah, they were all really nice. They talked about the usual gossip, _he’s_ dating _her_ , _she_ kissed _him_ , blah, blah, blah.” Carter imitated, taking the last sip of her milkshake that was in her hand.

“Oh, so you were bored?” Waverly asked concerned that she felt trapped in the conversation.

“No, not at all. It’s funny how they talk about it like it’s the biggest news and the most important thing in their lives.” She joked, whilst placing her empty glass down so Nicole could clean it and headed for the door that entered the employee area. “I’d rather focus more on school and sport rather than my relationships with people, it can get a little lonely though, I guess.”

Waverly nodded in agreement, she remembered the time where everyone would avoid her because she was an Earp, leaving her feeling like an outsider.

“There are free booths now if you want to move,” Carter added whilst swinging the door open.

Waverly grasped the book into her hands and made her way to the booth near the door with a window next to it for good lighting on the pages as she started to read, occasionally looking out the window to see the odd spec of snow trickling onto the streets of Purgatory. Hearing Nicole’s voice in the background of her focus whilst reading made her smile as she flipped page to page.

 

* * * * *

 

Nicole poured the vanilla milkshake into the glass cup, passing the part of the blender to Carter who quickly washed it. They both entered the employee area to change out of their black and white uniforms, leaving the milkshake on the edge of the counter. Nicole peaked out of the circular window of the red door to make sure Waverly was still there. She had been checking every few minutes on the window booth next to the front door, making sure that she hadn’t left, making sure that what was about to happen was real. She saw Waverly, her head down in the book which she hadn’t put down since she sat in her seat.

Nicole grinned as she opened her locker to pull out her dark, forest green tank top. She held it in between her knees as she unbuttoned the white laced top, taking it off each shoulder and lightly tossing it into the locker. As she reached down for her tank, she heard Carter from a few lockers down, who was putting her volleyball uniform back on.

“So, what are you and Waverly going to do after this?” She asked pulling her skort up.

“Huh? Oh we’re just,” Nicole answers clearing her throat, adjusting her top by pulling at the bottom of it, “we’re just going to hang out.”

“ _Hang out_ , huh. So sharing a shake, that’s just hanging out. Nothing more?” She asks, taking her white shirt off, tossing it into the locker, followed by picking up her volleyball t-shirt.

“No, why would you say that?” Nicole responses defensively, pulling a black and red flannel, along with her car keys, out of her locker and placing the keys in her pocket.

“Nicole,” Carter says bluntly, yet kindly, closing her locker and whipping her backpack on one shoulder, “after two years, I can tell what you think about her. You don’t act like you do when you’re around her like when you’re with anyone else. As soon as she walks through that door you just light up.”

Nicole goes silent as she rolls up the sleeves on her flannel, she wasn’t expecting anyone to comment on this today. No one apart from her mum, Nedly at the station where she worked part-time, and her best friend Dolls knew about her sexuality. She was quite a private person, she didn’t have many friends growing up so she usually kept everything to herself and only told the people that were important in her life her sexuality.

“I-” Nicole stuttered, lost for words.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, won't tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about.” Carter replied calmly, trying to not freak Nicole out, as she fiddled around with her bag strap, making it more comfortable on her shoulder.

Nicole smiled, “Thank you.”

“Now come on, we don’t want to keep her waiting.” Carter said grinning, placing her hand on Nicole’s shoulder and guiding her towards the red door.

They entered the diner once more, Nicole walking to the counter where she’d left the milkshake and Carter walking towards the entrence, passing Waverly who still had her head in Nicole’s book. Opening the door, she winked at Nicole and yelled softly, “Bye Waverly,” letting the door creek as it shut.

Waverly’s head popped up from the book as if she was coming out of a haze, yelling back “Bye!”, still a little confused as to who had said it.

She looked around the diner, the empty booths and bar stools with red leather seats that had no one sitting in them. The silence from the lack of people made the music seem like it was playing louder, as _Wicked Game by Chris Isaak_ began to play on the jukebox. She spotted Nicole with her back leaning against the counter, with a vanilla milkshake in her hand that held a red and white stripped milkshake straw within, finding its balance inside the shake. Nicole had one foot tucked behind the other, balancing on the counter in between two red stools, admiring Waverly, the sun was beginning to enter golden hour, allowing a strong beam of light around Waverly.

“I really like it.” Waverly said, looking back down at the page number before closing the book, turning her attention back to Nicole.

“Yeah?” Nicole said in what was almost a whisper, pushing her weight off of the counter, making her way to the seat opposite of Waverly, placing the milkshake in between them.

Waverly nodded slightly and grinned, staring into Nicole’s eyes that shone from the light coming in from the window. She had never felt this way about anyone before, she could help but look at every feature she could. Her short red hair that always fell right into place, her sparkling eyes, her nose, her hands, her arms, her neck, her lips. They were slightly parted. Slowly the part grew as her mouth formed a smile that melted Waverly’s heart.

“Good to know.” Nicole said with a confidence she thought she never had. Seeing Waverly, right across from her, knowing they were alone, and could talk about anything they wanted to.

“ _Hmm_ ,” Waverly smirked, leaning in for a sip of the milkshake, “Wow, that’s really good.”

“Yeah?” Nicole said self cautiously.

“Yeah, have some.”

“No, no, I can’t. It’s for you, I don’t need or deserve it.” Nicole insisted.

Waverly dipped her head down slightly, and raised her eyes up to look at Nicole. Nicole felt a heat rush through her body as Waverly said, “Let’s play for it.”

“What? What do you mean?” Nicole said intrigued whilst a little worried.

“Let’s play for it,” she repeated raising her head up again, now fiddling with the straw, “Never have I ever, if you’ve done it, take a sip, there for you deserve to drink some as a reward for doing whatever it is you’ve done.”

“Waver-“

“Please, it’ll be fun!”

Nicole raised an eyebrow after a short moment to think and smirked, “Alright. Fine. I’ll play. You ask first.”

Waverly smiled, “Guess I’ll start easy then, because I really want more of this shake and you need to have some,” she took a short breath in, “Never have I ever kissed a boy.” She said quickly, leaning in for a big gulp of the milkshake.

Nicole just stared at her, non-responsive to what she said, apart from asking, “Who?”

“Champ, the quarter back in my year.” She answered, going in for another quick sip as she couldn’t get enough of the taste.

Nicole rolled her eyes, she didn’t know much about Champ apart from that he was a massive dickhead who found amusement in hurting others. “Really. Are you still with him?” Nicole asked, slightly tapping her finger along with the music awaiting an answer.

“Uh, no, No I’m not. I ended it a few months ago. He was really selfish and controlling through that whole relationship. I should have ended it a long time ago.” She replied, almost scoffing at the idea of Champ.

“Yeah. So, my turn-“

“Wait,” Waverly said cutting Nicole off, “What about you?”

“ _Hmm_? _”_ Nicole questioned.

“Who was your kiss?” Waverly questioned, crossing her arms on the table, leaning in slightly.

“I didn’t take a drink.” Nicole answered.

“Wait, you’ve never kissed anyone?” Waverly asked quietly.

“I have.” She said.

“Wait, so-“ Waverly started before Nicole cut her off.

“Never have I ever kissed a girl.” Nicole blurted out.

There was a moments pause, Waverly’s lips parted, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach, not knowing what to say. Nicole slowly leaned forwards, her heart racing. She held the straw to her mouth, and took a small sip. She let go of the straw and crossed her arms for support of her weight, leaning into the middle of the table, not moving from her head away.

Waverly leaned in, only a milkshakes distance from Nicole’s face, her nerves were calm and wild at the same time. Her feelings for Nicole where out of control. Nicole was only a breath away. She stared into Nicole’s eyes as Nicole stared back at hers, “I really want more of that milkshake.” She whispered.

“Then have some.”  Nicole tempted, whilst her heart was pounding, her face slightly lingering towards Waverly’s.

“I play by the rules. I can only drink if I’ve done it.” Waverly grinned, shifting her view from Nicole’s eyes to her lips.

“Maybe I can help you follow the rules, and still get you that sip.”

Nicole opened out one of her crossed arms and ran her hand up Waverly’s arm, sending an unfamiliar sensation around Waverly’s body. She looked down as she moved the milkshake glass slightly to the right of her allowing for the space between them to open up.

Nicole watched Waverly’s lips, as her hand moved up from her arm to her face, holding her jaw with her thumb placed on her cheek. Nicole caught Waverly’s attention, as she looked silently into Nicole’s eyes, which then drove her to staring in awe at her lips. It felt as if a whole eternity had passed. Waverly staring longingly at Nicole’s lips, and Nicole staring right back at Waverly’s.

 _There’s no turning back now_ , Nicole thought. She began to lean in.

 _This is really happening._ Waverly thought, giving in to the pull of Nicole’s hand on her head, her eyes beginning to flicker shut.

Suddenly, the front door swang open, causing Waverly to jump backwards and Nicole to push herself back into her seat.

“Oh, hey Nicole. What are you doing here?”

“Lonnie, hey, hi,” Nicole stuttered trying to settle herself back in her seat, “I’m just, uh, having a milkshake.”

He looked at Waverly, then back at Nicole, “Sorry to interrupt you ladies, but we’ve got to set up early tonight. Hens party. You can stay if you want to help, but you wont be getting payed.”

“Hard pass, thanks Lonnie.” Nicole answered dryly as he entered the employee’s only area. Nicole turned back to Waverly, who was staring uncomfortably at the red door Lonnie had just entered.

“Hey,” Nicole said, reaching out for Waverly’s hand that was on the edge of the table. Waverly’s eyes trickled towards Nicole, as if she had entered a trance. After a short pause, Nicole stood up, walked over to Waverly’s side and held her hand out. “Let’s get you home, _huh_.”

Waverly flashed a corner smile, grasped the copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and held Nicole’s hand as they left Shorty’s.

 

* * * * *

They rode in Nicole’s red Camaro z28 in silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts, contemplating; _what if they got caught,_ but mainly _, what if they didn’t?_ Nicole stopped the car outside of the Earp homestead and placed it in park. Neither of them moved an inch, scared to break the silence.

Eventually, Waverly turned her head and looked at Nicole, “Thanks for the ride.”

Nicole looked over to see Waverly in a nervous state. Worried, Nicole said, “Look, I just… if I did anything wrong or something that you didn’t want and you don’t want to do, or if you’re uncomfortable-“

“Nicole!” Waverly stopped her as she began to ramble worryingly, “You did nothing wrong.”

Relieved, she nodded and said quietly, “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She lightly said, tilting her head to the side, admiring Nicole’s timid smile.

There was a moments pause before Waverly whispered, “I have to go,” as she pushed the car door open and stepped outside.

“Wait!” Nicole darted, grabbing her book and holding it out towards Waverly, “Have it.”

“What?”

“Have it. I have another copy at home. It’s yours.” She flashed a smile as the Earp girl took it out of her hands.

“Thank you.” She blissfully smiled, shutting the car door that had the window rolled down.

As Waverly began walking towards the house, Nicole watched for a second, followed by her fumbling with the gear stick to take it out of neutral.

“Hey, Nicole!” Waverly called out from three quarters away from the homestead, holding the book in her arms like a high school student.

“Yeah?” Nicole looked up from the stick.

“I still want a sip from that milkshake.” She smirked admittedly, turning around to jog into her house, out of the cold winter night that was upon them.

 


	2. I Don't Really Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I get off at ten."
> 
> "Okay, I'll see you then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! This chapter is LONG OVERDUE! Thank you for all the support and love on the other chapter, I hope I can write more often <3

Nicole was sitting in her usual spot in the station on a Thursday afternoon, placed on a black leather wheeled chair, looking through files upon files, standing up and down to file them in the cabinets. Though the work was tedious she always worked happily and focused, she was in love with her career, and her dream was to one day be sheriff. The idea of people not being safe made her heart ache, she wanted to make sure the citizens of Purgatory would never have to feel that pain.

Whilst looking through the Gardner case file, she heard a familiar mumbled voice from the room behind her, “Officer Haught!”

She closed the file, and placed it in the drawer beside her, readjusting her uniform she opened the door to Nedley’s office, “Yes, sir?”

“I need you to go out on patrol. All the other officers are not on their game today.” Nedley explained looking up at Nicole standing at the door.

“Yes, of course, sir.” She answered, beginning to turn out the door when Nedley stopped her in her tracks.

“Nicole,” he said catching her attention, “I realise I’ve been slacking on you, and what you’re capable of. I would like you to do patrol once in the mornings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and twice in the morning and afternoon on Thursdays. In the afternoons you can take your own car as it’s when your shift ends, afternoons always end with patrols at the school. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Yes,” she answered a little too excitedly, “Yes sir, I won't let you down.” She said standing up straight in a more professional matter.

“I know you won't. You’re one of my bests, Haught.” He smiled, “Close the door on the way out.”

“Thank you, sir.” She grinned back, closing the door and grabbing the keys to her car.

 

* * * * *

 

Placing her water bottle in the cup holder, Nicole turned the silver key and the engine started up. Driving through the streets of Purgatory was relaxing to Nicole. The suns beams shining through buildings, the small trickling of green and brown leaves off of trees onto the almost deserted streets. She had to be alert for anything suspicious, yet could help but relax at the look of the scenery. Nicole was around eleven when she moved to Purgatory, and instantly fell in love with the small town, big cities weren’t her thing. She loved the simplicity and she loved the people.

Pulling up to Purgatory High, Nicole put the car in park and exited the vehicle, locking the door behind her. She had never done afternoon patrol before and wasn’t used to the large crowd of students. She began to try and squeeze between students that were all headed to their cars and skateboarding away from the school. For the most part, they moved out of her way, as they were used to cops showing up after school to make sure that no fights would occur as they have in the past, along with checking the campus to see if anything suspicious was happening.

Suddenly, a tall lanky male student bumped into her shoulder with force, then continuing to walk in the other direction.

“Hey!” Nicole called out, with the boy turning around to reveal himself to be a Gardner.

Most of the students were now quiet, as most of them knew the power he had over Nicole due to his wealth. Nicole was on the edge of telling the spoilt brat off, yet she knew she had to keep her cool, she needed Nedley to trust that she could put her more personal feelings aside and be professional.

“Watch where you're going.” She answered sternly.

“Why don’t you?” He smirked with a wicked look in his eye and turned around to head towards his car.

Clenching her fists tight, she let him go without giving him what he wanted, without a fight. The students around her slowly started to divide into different groups and left the front of the school. Slowly breathing in and sighing out, Nicole began her patrol around the school halls. The echoes of teenagers’ footsteps bounce around the halls as they exit changing rooms for various kinds of training for different sports. Nicole smiled as she is reminded of her time in high school, owning a deep red locker that held books of knowledge inside, and a light blue one in the changing rooms. As she passed the trophy cabinet, she was surprised to spot her name on a plaque;

TRACK RECORDS:

NICHOLE HAUGHT- 100 METERS – 12.15 SECONDS - 1979

She was surprised that in her four years out of high school no one had beat it yet. She was extremely proud of the spot she held, she trained for three months straight, running three kilometres almost every day. She remembers the day she won the race, it was all the schools in the state versing each other, and of course, Waverly was there in her Blue Devils uniform, holding blue and white pompoms. Nicole ran like there was no tomorrow, having the cropped blue devils tank top and blue and white shorts on skin tight with her brand new white joggers, she was able to glide through the resisting air. Once she crossed the line, everyone from Purgatory high went wild, she saw Waverly with the biggest smile on her face, which made Nicole think every minute spent training was worth it. She received a giant trophy which she school gave to her once she graduated. High school wasn’t always the best place, but during sporting events, she knew her peers had her back.

Next to the track plaque was a photo of the cheer squad that won the Cheer Competition in ’81, two years after Nicole’s graduation. Her eyes focused right on the team captain, Waverly Earp, who had a shining golden medal around her neck, matched by a striking smile, standing right on top of the team pyramid. Nicole could feel the same rush flow through her as it did the first time she saw her.

It was the ninth grade, and Nicole was warming up with her track team, when she saw Waverly on the patch of grass next to the track course, in a newly fitted winter cheerleading uniform. She seemed shy but full of enthusiasm and performed beautifully. Her body was able to move gracefully within every step of the dance.

_God Haught, get it together,_ she thought to herself, walking away from the distracting cabinet and heading outside to the fields.

As soon as she exited, she heard _The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll by Prefab Sprout_ playing off a boom box, right next to the track field. Nicole’s eyes followed the sound as she saw the schools’ senior cheerleaders dancing, following the moves that Waverly was performing in front of them.

“You think you’ve all got it?” She asked as they finished, and she walked over to reset the tape.

Mumbles of agreement from the girls occurred as the tape fully rewind, looking up Waverly spotted Nicole and smirked. “Okay ladies,” she said pressing play, “practise it for a little while, I’ll be right back. I expect the chorus to be in sync!” She chirped as she jogged over to Nicole.

Nicole felt her nerves spiking as Waverly headed towards her, her high ponytail swaying highly from side to side. She was dressed in black sweatpants and plain light blue tee and had a blue scrunchy in her hair.

Waverly slowed her pace as she reached Nicole, who was standing in her dark blue officer’s shirt and dusty leggings, held up by her maroon officers' belt that she holds with her hands. As she reaches her, she remembers everything that happened the previous day, and the thoughts came flooding into her mind. The milkshake, never have I ever, the ride home, the _kiss that almost happened._

“Hi,” Waverly spoke shyly, lifting her head up to looks at Nicole, her ponytail sliding from in front of her face to behind her ears, the ends slipping off her shoulders to behind her back.

“Uh, hey,” Nicole laughed nervously, “how are they doing?”  Nicole asked gesturing towards the girls cheering.

 

Waverly quickly looked behind her towards the cheerleaders, then back at Nicole, “Yeah they’re going, well. The competitions coming up in about a month so we’re trying to get the choreography figured out.”

 

Nicole nodded, only half listening as she stared at Waverly’s lips for a moment, remembering how close she was to her yesterday, she could almost smell the freshness of the milkshake that matched Waverly’s breath.

 

Waverly catching Nicole staring made her side smile show as she looked away blushing. She dipped her head down, self-consciously moving her feet around to readjust, as she looked back up to spot Nicole smiling at her.

 

“What?” The redhead questioned as she struck a dimpled smile.

 

“What?” She asked back, almost giggling.

 

“I, I asked you first.” Haught stepped a foot closer to Waverly, tilting her head down to look into her eyes.

 

Waverly held her hands behind her back and balanced on her heels, like a child about to ask for candy. “I was wondering if you had a shift at Shorty’s tonight?”

 

A little confused, Nicole questioned why.

 

“Because, well, do you know Rosita and Jeremy?”

 

Nicole nodded in a reply, not to sure where she was going with this.

 

“Well, they wanted me to go out with them for the 70’s and 80’s mix night tonight, you know when they play all different kinds of music from the 70’s and 8-“

 

“Waves, I know. I work there.” Nicole laughed.

 

Not expecting Nicole to call her Waves, she stuttered when she asked, “Yeah, yeah I was just wondering if, uh, if you would want to join me- I mean us. After. Your shift.”

 

The Earp girl flashed a friendly nervous smile at the tall redhead as she heard the song end and all the girls chanting a small cheer, which was her cue to get back to her job.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Nicole moved a strand of hair out of her face, “I could defiantly join you guys for a drink.”

 

“Yeah?” She spoke with heart eyes.

 

“Yeah. I get off at ten, but I have to lock up the cop shop at ten thirty so-“

 

“That’s okay! I mean, yeah, fine, cool, neat.” Waverly said trying to hide her excitement and stay cool.

 

“Okay, I’ll see you then.” Nicole smiled.

 

“Yeah, see you!” The Earp girl spoke loudly as she made her way back to her class.

 

Walking in the opposite directions, they both smiled in bliss.

 

 

* * * * *

 

The clock read 9:58 as the redhead poured the margarita mix right to the brim of the glass and handed it over to a customer. She could stop looking at the clock and around the bar, waiting to spot Waverly, it’s all that was on her mind all day.

 

_9:59, come on. These minutes are lasting forever._ She thought, taking off her nametag to be prepared to leave as soon as possible when she suddenly hears a familiar voice from the corner of the counter, “Can I get two shots?”

 

Turning her head, she felt a rush at the sight of the Earp girl. She was wearing a light pink silk singlet, her hair up in a lose high pony which was held back by a matching pink scrunchy. She smiled from ear to ear, her face glowing with beauty.

 

“Actually add another two onto that,” Rosita said sitting down on the stool next to Waverly, followed by Jeremy.

 

“Four shots coming right up.” She said catching her thoughts and pouring out the glasses and passing the first to Jeremy, second to Rosita and third to Waverly.

 

“Wait who’s having the fourth?” Nicole puzzled.

 

“You are.” Waverly smiled as Rosita and Jeremy gulped down their shots and stood up to go dance.

 

“You coming?” Jeremy gestured to Waverly.

 

“Yeah, I’m just going to wait till Nicole get’s off though.”

 

They nodded and entered the pool of people dancing to _Let’s Dance by David Bowie_.

 

Nicole spotted the clock, _10:01_ , she perked up and yelled out to Lonnie on the other side of the counter, “I’m off!”, quickly whipping her head back to Waverly, “I’ll be right back.”

 

Waverly watched as Nicole quickly entered the employee room. She felt her nerves creeping up on her, she only had around half an hour with her and she had no idea if she would have enough time to even talk to her. Almost panicking, she picked up her shot. She felt the familiar sting down her throat, but it helped calm her nerves.

 

After a moment, Nicole entered the room. Her hair was half up tied in a blue elastic, wearing an ocean blue top with a pink jacket over, and light blue jeans. Her soft blue eyes sparkled as the lights from the disco ball glimmered on her face. Waverly had never felt this way about anyone, she had never felt too nervous to even move. Nicole sat down on the stool next to her, flashing a dimpled smile, gesturing to the shot in Waverly’s hands, “Are you actually going to get a sip of that or are you going to hog it all for yourself.”

 

“Oh shoot,” she said passing it over across the counter, “Sorry.”

 

“I was kidding, but thanks for this.” Nicole followed up after taking the shot, “Just for your information. I’m an extreme lightweight so if I do anything really weird or something, just ignore it.”

 

“Well you know what they say, the _true you_ _comes out_ when you’re drunk.” Waverly grinned.

 

Nicole laughed as the song ended, “I guess so.”

 

After a second of silence, the juke started playing _Roadrunner by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers._ Waverly’s head shot up as she heard the count from one to six, “Oh my god, I love this song!”

 

Surprised, Nicole questioned, “You know this song?”

 

“Yeah, Wynonna plays it all the time!”

 

“I would have taken you for more of a _pop disco_ kind of girl?” Nicole smiled.

 

“I go both ways.” Waverly grinned, pulling Nicole’s stumbling body onto the dance floor to search for Jeremy and Rosita.

 

“I don’t really dance,” Nicole said coming to a stop.

 

“What do you mean?” Waverly asked looking back at her, still holding her hand.

 

“It’s not really my thing,” Nicole admitted.

 

After a short pause, Waverly asked, “Just one dance? That’s all I’m asking. You’ll have fun, trust me, everything can change within just one song. Please?”

 

Waverly’s sweet smile felt like it put Nicole under a spell as she nodded and Waverly pulled her into the crowd of people dancing.

 

 

Nicole’s eyes were looking everywhere, at all the familiar faces of townspeople that she had never met, trying to spot out Waverly’s friends. Waverly turned to Nicole’s direction, switching the hand she was holding hers with, singing along to the song, “ _Road runner once, road runner twice, I’m in love with rock and roll and I’ll be out all night,”_

Grasping Nicole’s free hand, she threw her arms up in the air, dragging Nicole’s along. Nicole began to laugh as Waverly started swaying from side to side, moving her arms slowly from above to a more relaxed position. Nicole began to bop along with her head, slightly shuffling her feet side to side, mirroring Waverly.

 

“Where’s Rosita and Jeremy?” Nicole asked loudly, leaning in closer to make sure Waverly heard her over the blasting instrumentals of the song.

 

Waverly looked over Nicole’s shoulder and nodded her head towards the door, where Nicole saw Rosita and Jeremy in the booth next to the door, both raising their glasses towards Nicole, then cheersing.

 

“They’re here more for the drinking rather than the dancing tonight.”

 

“Huh, I would have guessed with Rosita, but not Jeremy.”

 

“Me too.” She laughed, getting lost in the song, jumping around with the rest of the crowd.

 

After almost no time, both Nicole and Waverly were moving swiftly along with everyone else, keeping up with the pace of the song. Nicole was fixated on the way Waverly moved her body so freely, completely in sync with the guitar. She goofily began to run around Nicole, jumping up and down and moving her arms around to what Nicole could only describe as _mum dancing_. As Nicole began to laugh, Waverly grasped her hands and started running in the same way she was before, this time spinning Nicole around.

 

“What are you doing?” Nicole laughed as Waverly slowed the pace to a stop.

 

“Just having fun, letting loose.” She giggled, facing Nicole and resting her wrists on Nicole’s shoulders, “But I think _cowgirl_ over there is absolutely living her best life right now.”

 

Nicole turned her head to the left as she saw a middle-aged woman in a full cowgirl get up doing the _heal toe_ dance with her partner.

 

“You think after eleven years I would get used to this crazy town, wouldn’t you?” Nicole smiled, realising Waverly was getting closer to her as the song faded out. The lights on the disco ball starts to move a little slower as _So Long by Fischer-Z_ began to play.

 

Waverly suddenly felt Nicole’s hands lightly pressed on her waist, sending a fluttering sensation to her chest, causing her to shift her view from the floor to Nicole who had her eyes locked on Waverly. Both balancing their weight on each other, the giggles left their faces and turned into sweet smiles. The song wasn’t one particularly for slow dancing, but everything felt like it was coming to a stop, each second dragging on as Waverly looked into Nicole’s eyes. They both came to a stop, slightly closer than before, encapsulated in their own bubble.

 

A fluttering feeling was cast upon Nicole as Waverly slid her hands off Nicole’s shoulders, as she removed hers from Waverly’s waist, holding each other at their arms. Nicole began to walk backwards, her hands sliding down Waverly’s wrists, ending at her hands which she held gently. Mesmerised, Waverly followed her out of the crowd. Nicole turned her body around whilst passing by the red stools, opening the staff door, allowing Waverly to entre in front of her.

 

Waverly looked around the room as the door swung shut, allowing for the music to muffle. Nicole leaned against the wall on the edge of the door frame as Waverly stepped a little closer to her, about a meter away. Nicole’s heart was pounding she had no idea what was about to happen.

 

“Nicole,” Waverly whispered softly, her eyes getting lost in Nicole’s.

 

“Yeah?” Nicole answered, her lips staying parted.

 

Nervously, Waverly looked down at her hands, which were held by Nicole’s. She grasped on a little tighter, afraid she will never be able to hold onto her again. Waverly looked up into Nicole’s eye, encapsulated by their beauty she was scared they may never look at her the same.

 

“I have something to tell you,” Waverly said.

 

Her heart beating, Nicole nodded her head slightly allowing her to speak.

 

Her voice trembling, she shifted her eyes towards Nicole’s mouth, “I, really, really like you.”

 

Before Nicole could say a word, the buzzer in her pocket began to beep, shocking them both, their hands releasing from one another. The time read 10:31 as she turned it off, looking back to Waverly who seemed unsure of what to do.

 

Nicole looked around the room to see if anyone was watching, grasped Waverly’s hand and said, “Come with me.”

 

Waverly held on tight as Nicole lead her out the red door, and towards the front. She ignored the calls from Jeremy asking where they were going as they exited Shorty’s. Nicole was walking fast, Waverly seeing her confidence in each stride.

 

Nicole was nervous but had her mind steady on Waverly. As they reached the end of the street Nicole opened the door to the station, Waverly was standing near the front desk confused as to why she was there. Nicole looked around the station, it was completely empty. Just Waverly, Nicole and the small humming of Nedley’s radio playing _I’m on Fire by Bruce Springsteen._

 

As Nicole was making her way down the corridor, Waverly started to speak, lost in her own thoughts.

 

“Look, Nicole, I- I don’t know what’s happening but I- I shouldn’t have said anything and-“

 

As Nicole approached her, she took her hand once more and led her into Nedley’s office, allowing her to enter first, Nicole closing the door behind them.

 

“Nicole, what are you-“

 

Waverly’s speech was cut short as Nicole quickly placed her hands on Waverly’s cheeks, pulling her body closer to her own, parting her lips, passionately meeting Waverly’s. The shocked feeling quickly left Waverly’s system as she moved her arms upwards, placing her hands on the back of Nicole’s neck.

 

Nicole moved her hands down to the small of Waverly’s back, colliding their bodies. Waverly began to stumble forward, as they gasped for air in between each kiss that became more and more passionate at each touch. The backs of Nicole’s legs knocked against the couch, as their bodies fell onto one another.

 

“Wait- “, Nicole pushing Waverly’s body slightly upwards, breaking their rhythm.

 

Waverly sat up, her hand falling onto Nicole’s knee as she began to sit up from the position she was lying in.

 

“I just- “, Nicole started nervously, “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to tell you.”

 

“Tell me what?” Waverly whispered, her heart eyes showing as a slight smile crept onto her face.

 

“Tell you that I like you too.” Nicole flashed a dimpled smile.

 

Waverly laughed in bliss as she pulled Nicole closer to her, their bodies shifting as Waverly’s body laid underneath Nicole’s. Both smiling in between each kiss, they held onto each other, hands moving through each other's hair and along the frames of each other's bodies uncontrollably to the rhythm of the music that played softly off of the radio.

 

 

* * * * *

 

The ride home was quiet, the sound filled by small side glances and wide smiles. Nicole had heard Waverly giggle a few times, which made her grin wider every time. Nicole turned off headlights as she and Waverly reached the Earp homestead, pulling the break and opening her door.

 

“Thanks for driving me home, you really didn’t have to,” Waverly said, looking down quietly.

 

“N-Nicole,” she asked as she heard the driver's seat car door close, “Nicole, what are you doing?” Waverly asked as the redhead smiled at her, making her way around the front of the car to Waverly’s side.

 

Pulling the handle, Nicole opened the door and offered her hand to Waverly as she stepped out of the car, Nicole closing the door behind her.

 

“Nicole?”

 

“I’m walking you to your front door.” She grinned, interlocking her fingers with Waverly’s, “They always do it in the movies, you know? And I’ve never walked someone to their front door before.”

 

“I’ve never been walked to my front door before,” Waverly answered, giving a small grin in Nicole’s direction.

 

The air was cool, and the clear night sky held thousands of stars that hung above the homestead. The pathway came to an end as they reached the steps, Waverly stepping up one and peering into the window next to the door to see if Wynonna was still up, and then turned back to Nicole, pulling her in slowly, her tongue slipping across Nicole’s lips. Nicole chased the kiss after but Waverly pulled back, smiling sweetly.

 

“Goodnight Nicole,” Waverly whispered.

 

“Night Waves.” Nicole answered biting her lip as Waverly walked towards her door, “Hey!”

 

“Hmm?” Waverly answered turning her head back.

 

“Come by Shorty’s after school.”

 

“Are you working?” Waverly asked.

 

“No, I owe you a sip of my milkshake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Tell me what you think could possibly happen next in the comments??
> 
> Follow my Twitter @eaperfreak
> 
> <3


	3. A Different Kind of Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I miss her so much."  
> "The way you feel is the way you feel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So it's been forever and a half since I updated. I will definitely be updating a lot more after my exams end which is in a month so please stick around.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter Three: A Different Kind of Normal**

Waverly closed the door of the homestead quietly behind her, replaying the events of what happened on repeat in her mind. A smile creeping across her face. She walked towards the staircase, yet was distracted as she spotted Wynonna sitting on the floor in front of the living room couch. She has drying tears on her cheeks and was circling her finger around the rim of the whisky bottle and held only a few drops inside.

 

Wynonna looked up momentarily at Waverly, before ducking her head down trying not to cry again. Waverly knew this all too well. When Wynonna was met with an overwhelming amount of emotions, she was also met with a bottle of whisky that allowed her to forget them. She took the bottle and placed it on the opposite side of the table, then taking her place next to Wynonna on the floor.

 

They sat in silence for a moment, Waverly allowed Wynonna the time to calm down before speaking. The crackling of the fireplace opposite them filled the silence within the room.

 

“I miss her so much.” Wynonna whimpered, her voice weak from what would have been her screams of melancholy.

 

“I do too.” Waverly comforted her, realising Wynonna held a photograph of Alice in her hands that had been slightly scrunched in her hand.

 

“God damn it, just one more fucking revenant and then it’s over. And then she can come back.” A tear of anger fell from her eyes, reflecting the ambers from the fireplace as it dragged along her skin and fell off the edge of her jaw.

 

Waverly pulled Wynonna close to her, allowing her to rest her head on her shoulder. The Earp curse had consumed their lives since they were born. They had one left and it would all be over, but they had no clue to who it was. Purgatory was a perfect name for the town, and limbo was their lives. Waiting for the slightest lead build upon, to escape the curse. Bobo was the last revenant they had killed, that was over two months ago. He said that they were someone who was half revenant and half human, the opposing mirror of Waverly. He stated that their effects of being a revenant would start to show on their next birthday after his death. Wynonna had kept a close eye on every single person in the town, but nothing changed.

 

Waverly kissed the top of her sisters’ head and held onto her tight. Wynonna didn’t stop crying until all her energy was gone, and she slept. Waverly didn’t move, she sat stroking her sisters’ hair, wondering if the relationship she held with her now would change if she knew where she was on that night. Who she was with on that night.

 

* * * * *

 

The last customer left the diner at 1:30 pm sharp as Waverly entered Shorty’s, brushing past them. She got caught in her tracks as she saw Nicole flicking through songs at the jukebox, finally selecting a song, pressing the button and hearing the machine ticker. She turned on her heels, her auburn hair brushing past her cherry lips which parted at the sight of Waverly, the edges slightly lifting in adoration.

 

Waverly’s lips pinched timidly, her voice soft, “I was promised a milkshake.”

 

The beat of _I’m Not In Love by 10cc_ kicked in as Nicole answered, “Oh really?”

 

Waverly looked Nicole up and down, her eyes stopping on Nicole’s lips as her mind began to drift, resulting in her bit her bottom lip and nodding. Nicole grinned at the sight and grasped the glass of vanilla flavoured liquid. She carried it to the booth in the far corner. Waverly smiled, she knew exactly what was going to happen. The booth was known for its ability to be invisible, the walls the chairs were attached to were taller and wider than the others, the opening to the booth was hidden from almost all angles. Nicole placed the glass on the table and grinned at Waverly before slipping out of her sight. Waverly snickered as she walked across the bar to join her.

 

Nicole watched Waverly’s hair sway as she pushed it behind her back whilst sitting down, her eyes caught Waverly’s as she reached out for one of the two straws in the milkshake, their contact not breaking as she sipped it.

 

“It’s really good,” Waverly smiled, licking her lips to catch any of the shake that the straw left on them.

 

“So, Waverly Earp, purgatories very own angel.”

 

Waverly looked down, slightly widening her eyes as she laughed, “Oh, if you only knew.”

 

“What, are you actually part devil?” Nicole joked, drawing the unused straw to her mouth.

 

“Hmm,” She laughed, “you seem to have heard about me then. The girl with the smile and wave, the “normal” from the crazy bunch.”

 

Her laughed turned into one of insecurity, as her fingers nervously danced along the bench. She felt terrible for calling her family that, but that’s how they were known and Waverly had to keep up the façade that she wasn’t hunting demons, and neither was Wynonna.

 

“Crazy is a word I probably wouldn’t use. Different. A lot of people don’t understand why people go to those kinds of hospitals, they just brush it off as the home for crazies, but it’s not true. I can tell you don’t believe what they do, so- I just want to know why you feed into it?”

 

Shocked, Waverly stayed silent for a moment. Nicole spoke with a tone of understanding. Like she had experienced a similar conversation on the topic. “I guess I just don’t want to draw attention to it. Disagreeing with something would just make things harder, not just for me, but for her. I did at first, it didn’t work.”

 

“I get that.”

 

“You do?”

 

Nicole was silent for a moment, deciding if she should say what sat at the tip of her tongue, “Yeah, uh- my mum was in one of those-those places for years when I was young, which is why I didn’t grow up here. I stayed with my grandparents in the next town over for most of my childhood and… that’s history.”

 

“Is she better now?” Waverly asked before quickly adding, “I’m sorry, that’s personal and I shouldn’t be rushing into all this-“

 

“No, no. It’s okay.” Nicole replied reaching out her hand to meet Waverly’s in the middle, “She is. She was and still is, my best friend. When she got back I didn’t want to lose any time with her. There’s not much more progress she can make now. I check up on her to make sure she’s not spiralling again.”

 

Waverly nodded, she knew the routine of having to pay close attention to the way Wynonna acted. She usually could catch her before she shattered, but the night before she had slipped.

 

Nicole saw how Waverly’s mood had flickered into something deep. She rubbed her thumb along the edge of her hand, “We can talk about something else if you’d want?”

 

Waverly’s eyes smiled, the light of the room reflecting off of her honey eyes. They were warm, they made Nicole feel safe. Waverly shifted her hand under Nicole’s as she grasped it, allowing her thumb to sit in sight, “Do you still paint?”

 

“I- I don’t really, I’ve been too busy,” Nicole asked slightly confused as to why she brought it up.

 

“That’s a shame. I remember always seeing you walk through the halls at school, you would always have paint splatters on your hand.”

 

“You- you noticed me?” Nicole asked. Nicole didn’t talk to many people during her high school years, she was afraid if she grew close to anyone and trusted them enough for them to know the true her, that they would instantly turn their backs. She had always assumed Waverly kept to herself as her head was usually buried in books or talking to her fellow peers.

 

Her eyes grew soft as she nodded in response, standing up from her seat she made her way towards Nicole. Nicole’s blue oceans encapsulated Waverly’s attention, their contact not breaking as she spoke, “Everyone knew you as the girl on fire, but I saw you. The real you. The girl who painted.”

 

She sat, placing one leg sideways on the seat to allow her body to face Nicole’s, “Most people saw you as the girl who kept to herself and seemed like she was just your star athlete,” she brushed the hair in front of Nicole’s face to behind her ears before dropping them slightly to cup her face, “but you weren’t. You’re so much more than that. You’re so much more than a score on a board Nicole.”

 

Their faces were close and eyes still locked, Waverly’s eyes shifted between the views of Nicole’s.

 

“And you, Waverly Earp, are so much more than a smile and wave,” Nicole spoke softly, her eyes dropping to Waverly’s lips.

 

Nicole felt the brush of Waverly’s thumb across the curve of her upper lip before the ends of her fingertips pulled at the edges of her face as she gave in to the control of Waverly’s kiss. Their touch was soft at first, as they readjusted, Nicole sliding her hands from her hips to the small of her back as she lay on the cushioned leather couch, her auburn hair blending in with the reds. Waverly’s legs were entwined with Nicole’s, one of her hands behind her back and the other in the flames of her hair. Waverly’s lips pulled at Nicole’s, her teeth scratching her bottom lip before her tongue entered her mouth, causing Nicole to moan.

 

Nicole’s hands fell under Waverly’s shirt, her fingers dancing along her spine as her body shifted and closed the space between them. Waverly gasped at the force, an ardent sensation shot throughout her body. Nicole moved one of her hands to the back of Waverly's neck, tightening her grip around her, smiling into her intensity. Their bodies moving synchronously with each other as the heartbeat of the drum played.

 

* * * * *

 

 _17:33_ read the clock as Nicole turned off the engine, her car parked outside her mothers’ house located two streets behind Nicole’s. She exhaled, her breathe bustily releasing, shaking. This would happen at least once a month, opening up with the one secret she had held her whole life from her mother, along with everyone around her. She was growing tired, watching every word she spoke, having to keep up with who the latest heartthrob was. She was growing tired of giving off the image of someone she was not.

 

Closing the door to her Camaro, she adjusted the sleeves of her denim jacket as she walked to the porch, the door swung open before she reached the top of the steps.

 

“Hey sweetheart, I thought I heard that car of yours,” Arabel answered, opening the door out before turning back into the house.

 

“Hi mum,” Nicole replied, closing the door behind her, _There’s no turning back now. I’m doing it this time,_ she thought whilst trying to control her breath.

 

“So, how was your day?” Her mother asked, taking a sip of water from her glass which was next to the sink.

 

The television in the kitchen was on the music channel playing _Strangers by The Kinks_ on a low volume you could only properly hear if you stood next to the speakers that came out the sides of the boxed screen. The window behind the sink was slightly open, bringing in the afternoon breeze.

 

“It was okay-” She paused for a second, bouncing her thumb on the kitchen table in the centre of the room, “I, uh, had a date.”

 

Her mother’s attention turned to her as she put her glass down behind her, folding her arms whilst leaning her back to rest on the bench. She slightly shook her head as she spoke to move her fading rosy coloured hair out of her face, “And how’d that go?”

 

“Good,” she continued to bounce her thumb on the table, “really good.”

 

“Well, that’s nice to hear. I’m happy for you sweetheart.”

 

“I-” she began quietly, her voice cracked as her chest felt like a ton of bricks that fell through a paper bag, “I don’t think you will be when I tell you-“

 

A tear escaped from Nicole’s eyes, yet it stayed hidden from her mothers’ sight behind her hair which fell in front of her face. Concerned, her mother released her balance from the bench and stood up straight, a foot away from her daughter,

 

“Tell me what?”

 

Nicole shook her head, looking up at her mother, “I’m scared.”

 

“Hey, hey- it’s just me. You can tell me.” She said taking a step closer to her daughter.

 

“I’m- I’m scared that you won’t be happy for me… because it’s not who you think it was. It was with a girl. I’ve… I’ve only ever been on dates with girls, and I know you’re probably going to hate me, or-“

 

“Hey, stop,” her mother beckoned to her side, whipping the tears from her face, “tell me one thing: are you happy?”

 

The knot tightened in her throat as she held in the emotions that were on the verge of bursting. She nodded her head slowly at first, picking up the momentum as she became more confident in her answer.

 

“If you’re happy, really, truly happy, then why on earth would I ever hate you for feeling that way?”

 

The knot snapped, causing a cry to come from Nicole as she slunk into her mothers’ arms. She always wanted to be the perfect daughter for her, to make things easier for her. She tried her hardest to stay inline with everyone else, to fit inline, to make her mother proud for being normal. Except, Nicole was never like everyone else, she never felt like she was the normal everyone portrayed normal to be. She felt the same feelings as every other girl, just about different people.

 

“The way you feel is the way you feel, Nicole, and nobody can stop that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my Twitter: @earperfreak <3


	4. Lux in Tenebris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepless nights spent together.  
> The sky shining bring forever.

**Chapter Four: Lux in Tenebris**

 

Nicole spent the rest of her night with her mothers’ arms around her. They had gotten dressed into their pyjamas, Nicole wearing her old pair from when she was eighteen that was still in her old bedroom. The light blue polka dot pants and unicorn tee felt the same as she remembered.

 

They talked about everything and nothing. Her mother hoped she would see the day where she would finally get to meet someone Nicole was crazy about, she hoped to see the day where she could see her daughter in love, see her at peace within who she was. They shared tears off and on, both of happiness and sadness. Arabel held her daughter in her arms as she drifted to sleep as her energy drew to an end. Nicole sat up, gently placing her body down sideways on the couch and drew a blanket from the armrest over her body. She smiled at her mothers’ silence, knowing the luck of still having her around.

 

She wandered from the living room into the kitchen to grab her car keys from the coffee table. She heard the static from the TV rustling at the same volume it was left on from the afternoon. She clicked the button to turn off the system. The breeze of spring was settling into Purgatory, the air skimming across the white painted wooden panels as Nicole closed the window.

 

Taking her time to close the front door silently, she made her way to the car. The engine started smoothly, everything felt quiet and peaceful. The clock read _1:47_. Nicole was wide awake, she could hear the small humming of the car and the soft push of air coming from the openings of the AC. She felt refreshed, and immediately thought of one person and one person only. Shifting the gears, she rolled the car away from the footpath.

 

She sat in silence the whole way there, her momentum pushing forward as each streetlight passed her eyes. Everything around her seemed clear, the slight settlement of anxiety within herself that she held onto for years had finally left. She laughed to herself, her grin not leaving her face the whole ride.

 

As she pulled up to the homestead, she got out of her car and followed the trail to the house, she could see a glow coming from the first window upstairs displaying an orange colour. The light flickered as someone moved past it, followed by the noise of small thuds coming downstairs. The front door opened slowly, not making a single creak as the brunette walked out the house, dressed in off-white silk pyjamas, the straps so thin you could see the lace of her black bra strap popping out of the edges. Nicole stood a meter away from the stairs to the veranda.

 

“What are you doing here?” Waverly questioned as she leaned against the wooden pillar beside the stairs.

 

“Why are you still awake?” Nicole replied curiously as she was expecting to have to wake her up.

 

Waverly’s eyes softened as she smiled at the redhead, walking down the three steps in front of her slowly she turned her attention to her hands, “I was reading. I finished just a few minutes before you came. It was good, really good.”

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Sorry if the writing annoyed you.” Nicole smiled, her hand brushing on Waverly’s as she handed back the copy of _To Kill a Mocking Bird._

 

“Not at all, quite the opposite.” She smiled back.

 

Nicole held the copy in her right hand beside her thigh, her fingers curled around the spine which was worn. It was her mothers' copy; it was one of the few books she had whilst in the hospital that she said she read at least ten times.

 

Letting out a breath of a laugh, Waverly shook her head slightly, “Why are you here, Nicole?”

 

She looked around the homestead, taking in the freshness within the air and how the moon lit up the space around them. She smiled back,

 

“Do you want to go somewhere with me?”

 

“Nicole, it’s one am?”

 

“Two actually,” she smiled, “it’s somewhere we can only really go at night. What do you say?”

 

Waverly quickly turned her head back to look into the living room window, Wynonna would usually try to hide there whenever she talked to someone outside when she was awake. She turned back to see Nicole standing in front of her, her eyes we’re light-hearted and happy, awaiting a reply. Waverly pinched her lips before nodding and smiling.

 

Nicole took her hand and began to walk back towards the car, giggling before turning around and picking up the speed.

 

The car doors clicked shut, Nicole placed the book in the back seat before started up the engine again, not taking much of a push. The feeling of the car felt cosy, the wheels beginning to move as Nicole spoke,

 

“You can pick out something to listen to if you want, the cassettes are in the glove box.”

 

The empty road soon turned to one fenced by trees as Waverly rustled through the tapes. She suddenly gasped as she came across a cassette, immediately flipping the plastic compact over and putting the cassette in the player.

 

“Found something you like?”

 

“ _Mmm hmm,”_ Waverly replied happily.

 

“Okay, I’m going to make a guess before it starts, up. It takes a few seconds. Gimmie a clue.”

 

As quick as she could Waverly yelled out, “Geek-Wood Back!”

 

“… You mean Fleetwood Mac?” Nicole turned her attention to Waverly as _Second Hand News from Fleetwood Mac’s album Rumours_ began, “Oh my god.”

 

They both laughed as Waverly explained, “Well you didn’t give me a time limit, I freaked!”

 

They continued to laugh throughout the song. Nicole turned onto a small dirt path that led into the forest area. The trees slightly died out as they came to a small opening within the forest. The area was only about twenty meters clear of trees, but the cosiness made it feel safe. Along one of the edges lay the sides of a lake.

 

Nicole shifted the break, Waverly’s attention was on her the whole time. They sang in and out of sync with each other to the beat, their voices intensities depending on how jokingly they sang. Waverly’s body bopped up and down to the beat, joined by Nicole once the car was parked.

 

_I’m just second-hand news,_

_I’m just second-hand news._

Nicole turned the volume button down slightly as the guitar solo began and raised an eyebrow at Waverly as the brunette looked out the windscreen window.

 

“No way.” She whispered as her attention adjusted to outside their bubble to the lake that lied in front of their view. “Nicole,” she said momentarily looking at the redhead, turning from serious into a smile before getting out of the car and closing the door. “There’s no way.” Waverly laughed to herself rubbing her hands from the sides of her head into her hair.

 

Nicole heard her muffled voice from outside the car and laughed. She turned off the lights and left the car in park, allowing the radio to keep playing. She got out and made her way to the boot of the car, pulling out a picnic mat and blanket. She unrolled the red flannel mat and placed it next to the car, just far enough from the car to fully see the sky if you were lying down. She dropped the blanket on top of the mat and looked up to the silhouette of Waverly. She grinned at the sight before slowly walking, placing herself by her side.

 

Waverly was encapsulated by the view, the reflection of the moon scattered across the lake, a glisten on each craves of the liquid, reflecting back up onto the trees surrounding the body of water. She exhaled, as she was unknowingly holding her breathe at the sight.

 

“It’s beautiful.” She spoke, staring out into the deep blue of the water.

 

Nicole shifted her view from the glow of the moon the Waverly. The details were slightly blurred as her eyes were still adjusting to the dark, but she would see every movement. The outline of her nose, the curls of her lips which lay apart, the natural waves of her hair, some of which were slightly swaying in the drift of wind.

 

Nicole’s heart fluttered as she spoke, “It really is.”

 

Waverly scanned the view again before looking over to Nicole, her eyes shifting from the river to the ocean within Nicole’s. Her breathe staggered momentarily, she was scared that what she hoped wouldn’t. That she would fall too quickly, resulting her in pushing her away. If she fell now, she wouldn’t just lose Nicole for what they were, she would lose her as a friend. As her thoughts were on the verge of spiralling, she felt a sudden tap on her palm, causing it to flinch slightly. They both looked down at their hands, their foreheads resting upon one another’s. Waverly’s breath shook as she exhaled, Nicole swallowed her nerves, their hands hovering next to one another.

 

Nicole’s nail from her middle finger timidly dragged along Waverly’s palm, falling in between her middle and ring finger. Waverly allowed her finger to fall in between her own, the others falling into place.

 

They both shifted their view back to each other, their eyes growing heavy and falling to each other's lips. Waverly’s thoughts had drifted off of her mind, she was present with Nicole and was taking the moment for what it was. She set free her mind-controlling every one of her movements, and so did Nicole, as they both sunk into each others touch. The fragility of it all kept them still for a moment, the curves of their lips locking as the grip of their hands fell.

 

Waverly rested her left hand on Nicole’s waistline as the other glided from her neckline, her intertwining with her auburn hair, slightly tugging at it as Nicole’s lips pulled on Waverly’s. Nicole’s hands lightly held onto Waverly’s midriff, her fingertips giving a small force that made her step forward. The touch of their lips grew intensely, their breath falling heavy in between each kiss, Waverly’s hand crawled upwards, grasping at her shoulder as Nicole’s hands moving the small of Waverly’s back, pulling her in to conceal the space between them.

 

A small flash of fear caught Waverly’s attention as she pulled her head back, her hands holding on the edges of the fabric around Nicole’s neckline. Her view rapidly shifted from the floor around them, to Nicole’s sight and lips. She was searching for a reason those feelings had come up, she knew this could be a normal night, so why was she freaking out?

 

Nicole noticed as Waverly’s anxiety was rising, “Waverly?”

 

She looked up, her eye’s read like a lost soul.

 

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Okay?” Nicole reassured.

 

Waverly nodded her head slightly, giving Nicole’s lips a slight peck before resting her head on the girls’ shoulder, embracing each other.

 

“I’m sorry, my mind started ticking, I didn’t mean to do anyth-“

 

“Hey, don’t apologise. I didn’t come here to just do _that_ , I’m here for you. All of you. Inside and out.” Nicole smiled, pulling out of the hug and gesturing to the mat that Waverly hadn’t noticed yet.

 

“Wha- Nicole, did you plan all this?”

 

“No,” Nicole smiled walking over and sitting on the mat, “I’ve always got it in my car in case my mum wants to come up here.”

 

Waverly smiled at the mention of her mother, she felt like an old friend, even though she only knew her through the writings in the margins. Waverly joined Nicole, sitting cross-legged beside her. Nicole’s arms rested on her bent knees that were lying in front of her.

 

“Your mother seems lovely.” She spoke softly.

 

Nicole glowed, “Yeah, she is. I’m really lucky to have her.”

 

There was a small pause, the small rustling of the dried leaves and movement of the water filled the space. Waverly fiddled her fingers along her leg as she her nervous voice spoke, “Why was she in hospital?”

 

“Uhh,” Nicole inhaled the fresh breeze of the spring evening, “She… was diagnosed with depression. When my father… she couldn’t handle it, it just got too much for her, which is why I stayed with my grandparents. She was in and out of that place for about eight years or so, which is why I came back when I was twelve… she really loved him.”

 

“I’m… I’m so sorry Nicole.” Waverly replied, her eyes looking into Nicole’s which glowed from the moisture collecting in them.

 

“Don’t be, it happens. He died doing what he loved. He was a fireman, and there was a fire in the preschool I was in. He and his team managed to get everyone out, but they had to double check everyone was out. It just got too intense.” She answered, lying down on her back and lowering her legs. Waverly started momentarily before joining her.

 

They felt the silence together as they were both mesmerised by the sky, the different intensities of the stars shined so clear. They could see galaxies upon galaxies, both of them feeling so small yet the feeling of them falling for one another felt larger than anything in the universe. Waverly shifted her right hand to sit on top of Nicole’s left which rested beside her on the mat, their fingers entwining. They started as the stars stood still, a couple out of the hundreds and millions shot across the sky before collapsing.

 

“Waverly,” Nicole spoke, her head turning to the girls.

 

_“Hmm_ ”, she hummed, her view turning view to the girl next to her as she shifted her hands to hold hers’, palm to palm, retaining to the lock of their fingers.

 

“Why was your sister in there? Apart from all the rumours and the facts about what happened with… I just want to know what was the real reason she was in there?”

 

Waverly adjusted her legs to shift her body to the side, her head comfortably resting facing Nicole, she did the same.

 

“They diagnosed her with schizophrenia. She was in there for a while before they realised they misdiagnosed her. They called it a schizophrenia or psychotic episode or something, blamed it on bad parenting and abandonment.”

 

“ _Jesus._ ” Nicole was unsure of how else to respond.

 

Waverly grinned unhappily, building a wall up around her emotions. She wanted to tell Nicole everything, how they were wrong about it all. How she was just doing what she had to, what her father had told her was right at the time. How there was the curse that she wanted so badly to end. Waverly let her grasp go of Nicole’s hand as she rested her head on Nicole’s chest. _Songbird_ _by Fleetwood Mac_ began to play off of the cars’ player.

 

Nicole’s hand rested on Waverly’s arm, her wrist moving as she comforted her. She placed a kiss on top of the girls’ head, feeling her brunette hair on her lips. Waverly smelt a hint of vanilla, the same sent of the doughnuts at Shorty’s and the milkshakes they had shared. The sent of Nicole was sweet, the perfect way to describe her.

 

The stars glistened as they watched, Nicole’s fingers repeatedly brushing through the girls’ hair, the silk falling in between her fingers to the tempo of the beat.

 

_And the songbirds are singing, like they know the score._

_And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before._

 

They stayed there for what felt like forever, Waverly talked about how much she loved working with the high-schoolers, teaching them dance whilst student teaching history classes and languages, and helping her sister out with the BBD. Nicole spoke about her dreams of moving further away from the desk into the action at the station. She talked about working part-time at Shorty’s, how she grew close to Carter. They talked about Carter momentarily, her sweet and accepting persona.

 

They spent moments in the relaxed silence looking at the worlds above them, each little shimmer of the sky glimmering on their eyes. Their silence spoke for them, the comfortability in each other touch. Waverly’s fingers stroking her side, Nicole running the tips of her fingers along her arm that held on tightly on her side.

 

“One thing about the stars that I love,” Waverly spoke, “is that they are all shining from the past. We read their history as we write our own. Our stories colliding in the same universe.”

 

The early sunset began as they reached the Earp homestead. They shared a kiss at the steps of the house, their lips speaking in bliss.

 

Nicole closed the door to her home, placing the keys down and fiddling with the book in her hand. She opened to the front page; her mothers' name written under the title and Nicole’s’ below. Around their names were others from the hospital with small messages written wishing her luck outside of the hospital, and those who had borrowed the book, yet this time she noticed something new.

 

_Arabel,_

_The notes and songs you recommended in the margins of this book really added to my experience reading this story. I can see the thoughtfulness within them, the care and love. I saw others had added notes as well, I hope you don’t mind what I’ve done._

_Thank you,_

_Waverly Earp_

 

Nicole’s heart grew at the message as she began to flip the pages, the end of chapters where the text ended short and the page would usually fall blank now contained led drawings of how the girls' mind pictured the landscape and characters to be.

 

She placed the book on her nightstand, lifting the sheet on her bed over her head as the early morning sky began to rise.

 

* * * * *

 

The school bell was moments from ringing as Waverly spoke to the class, many of the students writing notes and paying attention. They tended to pay more respect to her than their usual teacher, Doc Holliday. As they listened they could hear the passion within her voice.

 

“You see, many of us see the Greek Gods as myths- stories told of legends, but that’s all you see them as; myths, and so do many others, but there is so much more to it… Carter, tell me something about them other than they were myths.”

 

She sat in the third row beside the window, Waverly had noticed she wasn’t as attentive as usual, she was taking notes casually but her mind wondered outside the window. She spoke quietly as her confidence shook,

 

“Well I guess I, not everyone will agree with this, but I see them as an explanation for occurrences and ideas that couldn’t be explained at the time, such as the confusion as to why there was Thunder, there was Zeus, and the creation of rhythm and words could be explained through Apollo.”

 

There were the usual whispers of the students who snickered at anyone who spoke, but Waverly smiled at the girl,

 

“Good.”

 

The bell rang immediately after, everyone quickly picking up their belongings and heading out the door,

 

“Don’t forget guys, pages twenty-seven and thirty-one are to be completed, Holiday will be checking them next lesson.”

 

They mumbled as they left the class, leaving Waverly sorting out her folders and Carter slowly packing her bag. Waverly had noticed she was never in a rush to go between places, always taking her time.

 

“Aren’t you excited that class is over and you can go be with friends now? You’ve been staring out the window for most of the lesson, I thought you would have been the first to leave.” She commented as she slowly zipped her bag up.

 

Carter shook her head, “I’ve got free periods after lunch so I’m just going to head home or something.”

 

It was as Carter passed her that Waverly noticed the dark circles under her eyes and her skin tone was three shades lighter than usual.

 

“Carter,” she called lightly grasping her wrist causing her to flinch, “are you okay?”

 

Fear flashed before the girls’ eyes before she nodded her head and walked out the door. Waverly quickly picks up her things to attempt to follow her, yet as soon as she’s out the classroom door the sea of students covers her view. Knowing there was absolutely no way of finding her, she closes and locks the door behind her, suddenly feeling a tap on her shoulder.

 

“Heyo” Rosita said smiling, holding a folder along with an ancient history textbook.

 

“Hey Rosie,” she said nudging her shoulder as they began to stroll through the corridors towards the staff room.

 

“Class catch-up?” Waverly smiled.

 

“Well, that kid Brain, the one who brags about owning a BMW even though it’s his dads, anyway, he was sending notes to Erika and of course I wanted to what’s going down, so-“ she says reaching into her pocket and giving the note to Waverly, “read.”

 

“ _Tell me who. I said no specifics, it’s just one of your friends’ boyfriends who’s cheating. Brian, tell me. Sarah._ Wait, no, not my Sarah.” Waverly looked to Rosita, applying she meant one of the girls on the cheer squad.

 

Rosita nodded, “Just maybe don’t go as hard on her during practice.”

 

“That poor girl, she’s never nothing but sweet.”

 

“Anyway, yours?”

 

“Eh, not much happened. Carter seemed really off though but she kind of left before I could ask anything.”

 

“She works with Nicole right?”

 

The mention of her name shoots a smile onto her face, the halls feel a little brighter when she’s on her mind.

 

“Yeah, maybe she’ll know what’s up. Hey, are you free this weekend?” She changes the subject; afraid she will say something she’s not ready for.

 

“I wish; did you forget? I told you I’m out of town for like all of next week.”

 

“No fucking way is this the week,” Waverly says with her eyes wide opened.

 

“Unfortunately it is, it’s like my whole extended family made a pact that they would only have children during this week. It’s insane.” Rosita already sounded exhausted from the thought of the amount of family would be around her constantly.

 

“Well, once you get back I’ll have your present and a chill day planned for us.”

 

She smiled as they walked into the staff room, Waverly dropping her things off and picking up her bag. She farewelled Rosita, starting her walk to Shorty’s to pick up food for the BBD.

 

* * * * *

 

Nicole parked the car outside the building next to the station, the car’s time flashing _13:54_.  She was able to get a few hours of sleep as her shift started in only a few minutes. The air felt thin, her body felt lighter than before. She felt vulnerable. She felt free.

 

She saw Carter turn her view from the doors of the station and began walking towards Nicole, her head facing the ground.

 

“Carter?” Nicole questioned as she almost walked past her with no notice.

 

“Oh, hey Nicole.” She whispered.

 

“What are you doing here?” She asked, noticing the tiredness in Carter’s eyes.

 

This wasn’t something new for to her, she had seen her like this once before. Her mental state wasn’t the best due to school and her parents hadn’t taken notice. Nicole would spend time with her in-between and after shifts to help her where she could. She could see the girl suffering, and the face she saw in front of her resembled that time.

 

“I was… going to go to Shorty’s and pick something up to eat before heading home but I forgot I don’t have money on me.” She said, Nicole only half believing her.

 

“Well, here I’ve got some cash-“

 

“No, Nicole it’s fine. My parents want me home anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow at work.” She dodged any further questions as she walked away.

 

Nicole bit her lip whilst thinking to go after her or not. She decided it wasn’t the best time to deal with it as they were in public. She pushed open the door to the station, made her way to her spot in between the front desk and Nedley’s office, greeting her colleagues that walked past her. She opened the first folder and began to skim through the case. She felt the stare of someone at the front desk as she read through the updates attached to the folder. Completing the list, her eyes shifted quickly to see Waverly who stood smiling at the sight. Nicole quickly looked around before leaving, everyone else had their heads stuck within files and typing up reports.

 

“Hey,” Nicole whispered, not wanting to disturb those working around them.

 

“Hey, I’m just on my way to BBD to help out Wynonna, but I just went to Shorty’s and thought you’d might like one.” She said, bringing her hands up from behind the desk and placing a small box of vanilla dipped doughnuts in front of her.

 

“Waverly, you didn’t have to.” She said sweetly, picking out what looked like to be the smallest doughnut in the box.

 

“It’s a four deal, Nicole, trust me you are saving me from an hour-long argument over who gets the last one.”

 

Nicole acts unimpressed as she asks, “You and Wynonna fight about doughnuts?”

 

“No,” she jokingly shook her head, “Wynonna and Dolls do.”

 

_Mmh_ , Nicole hummed as.

 

“How have we never seen each other here?”

 

“I know; I’ve been here for about half a year. Guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” Nicole shrugged.

 

“Until now.” Waverly smiled, Nicole bobbed her head shyly as Wynonna appeared from the corridor, walking up to them.

 

“I thought I heard your angelic voice and oh my god did you eat my extra doughnut?” Wynonna spoke staring at the empty quarter of the box.

 

“No, I gave it to Nicole so you and Dolls won't argue again.” She smiled.

 

“But you know I love wasting time.” Wynonna dragged her words as she whined like a child jokingly.

 

“Sorry,” Nicole spoke, taking a bite out of the doughnut in her hand which caused Waverly to laugh.

 

“You guys plotted this against me, for all I know you’re both working with Dolls and you have another secret doughnut for him in your bag,” Wynonna said tugging on the strap around Waverly’s shoulder.

 

“That’s exactly what happened,” Waverly said sarcastically.

 

“You caught us,” Nicole added.

 

Wynonna exhaled, “Fine. You win this time. Come on sis, we’ve got some work to do, _and by work I mean inhale these doughnuts._ ”

 

Wynonna grabbed the box before Waverly could say a word and ran towards the BBD room.

 

“Here,” Waverly said taking a sticky note that was on the desk and began writing, “call me.”

 

She smiled as she walked away, first backwards before laughing shyly and turning the other way, disappearing behind the hallway walls. Nicole smiled at the note, below the numbers Waverly had written her name. The letters joining, the beginning and ends colliding.

 

_Call me_ , she repeated in her head smiling, holding onto the note tightly in her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I'm starting my exams in a few days so I won't be able to update for about a month. But after them, I'm completely done with high school so I should be able to update regularly.
> 
> Thank you for the support on this so far, it's been really fun! I also have some one-shots up so if you want to read some more stuff of mine feel free to.
> 
> My twitter: @earperfreak


	5. Aging Clocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a quick note, this chapter is very wynonna focused. it'll be back to the main focus on waverly and nicole in the future chapters <3

**Chapter Five: Aging Clocks**

“050?” Waverly repeated back to the phone as she scribbled on a piece of paper placed on the side table in front of the front door where the landline was.

 

Wynonna had been listening in for the past hour on this Thursday night, intrigued from Waverly’s opening line of _hey you_. Wynonna’s mind ran through every single person in Purgatory it could possibly be, flicking down the _Guess Who?_ tabs in her mind of the towns residence as she began to catch on it was the person Waverly had been going on dates with. She was quickly able to eliminate Champ, as every minute had Waverly laughing. It wasn’t her normal, polite laugh. It was authentic. Shy. Timid.

 

Wynonna slowly stepped out of the living room as Waverly was lost in the conversation coming to an end, “See you tomorrow? Okay. Bye.”

 

She happily hung the phone up, still holding the curve of the pastel yellow handle as her heart screamed.

 

“So who was that?” Wynonna said cheekily as she quickly snatched the piece of paper which held the answer, along with a phone number.

 

Without even a second to think. Waverly flinched trying to take the paper back, “Wynonna, give it back!”

 

“Wait. Just wait I want to see who.”

 

Waverly’s arms reached around her sisters back, her height not allowing her to be able to reach the paper which Wynonna held at a forty-five-degree angle from sight level, her head tilting as she read;

 

_Nicole x_

_3700-555-050_

Wynonna must have read the page at least three times before she readjusted, her eyes unfocused on the room around her. Waverly felt a shift in her back as she stiffened from read it, she moved her hands from where they were to the back of her right shoulder. She could tell, _she knew._

 

After a moment of the both of them staring into the abyss of empty thoughts, Waverly whispered, “Wynonna.”

 

Silence filled the room, there wasn’t even a noise from outside that could have been heard. Wynonna’s body was slightly swaying, trying to wrap her head around it all.

 

“Wynonna. Please let me explain.” Waverly said, her whisper showing a gain in confidence as she knew what the conversation was going to hold, she wouldn’t expect anything less than a swarm of questions.

 

Wynonna’s focus shifted to Waverly’s as she turned to face her sister, and didn’t even flinch her eyes away as she asked, “How long?”

 

“How long _what_?” Waverly asked for clarification.

 

“Have you known? Has this been happening?” Wynonna asked, her mind confused and filled with various emotions which Waverly found hard to read.

 

Waverly swallowed as she allowed her self to be open and truthful, “Junior year, cheer tryouts… and about a week.”

 

Wynonna blinked multiple times, each time one part of her mind was processing it and the other developing so many questions. Yet, she didn’t ask them, any of them but one.

 

“What does that make you then? A les- wait but Champ?”

 

“Wynonna,” she took a breath in as her eyes were polished by a layer of tears which she held from falling as she spoke, “I like guys, yes, but I also like girls.”

 

Wynonna nodded her head, her mind still running wild.

 

“-and I really, really like Nicole.”

 

“I-“ Wynonna’s voice was almost strained, but she managed to blurt out, “I need time.”

 

“What do you mean?” Waverly questioned, drops of fear trailing down both of her cheeks.

 

“I’m sorry. I just need time.” She said ducking her said and turning towards the stairs.

 

“Wynonna?” Waverly questioned as her words were mixed with sobs, “Wynonna, if you’ve got something to say; then please say it now. Please.”

 

Wynonna turned with one step on the stair to see Waverly’s blotchy face that was blurred due to the welling of liquid in her own eyes. She blinked them away as Waverly’s lips moved, barely making a noise,

 

“I’m scared.”

 

Wynonna cried as she wrapped her arms around her sisters back as she sobbed into her sisters’ shoulder. The heat of her tears wanted to make Wynonna explain that everything was going to be okay. But she didn’t. She just stood there, holding her, comforting her as her fingers stroked the strands of her hair.

 

“I’m sorry. I just- I just need time.” Wynonna repeated, holding her slightly tighter.

 

Waverly sobbed once more before controlling it, her voice shaken and body fragile, she looked up to her sister, “Do you hate me?”

 

Wynonna let out a small huff, a slight crease of a smile flashed as more tears fell. If there was one thing she was certain about, it was this.

 

“I could never hate you, baby girl.”

 

“Then why-” Waverly began to question the fraise she had spoken multiple times.

 

“I just do. But you’re still my sister. I still… I just-“

 

“Need time.” Waverly finished.

 

Wynonna nodded, rubbing her sister's shoulder once more before stepping back to turn towards the stairs.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“For what?” Wynonna questioned as she had felt like she had done nothing but hurt her.

 

“For being honest. For still seeing me as your sister. For still seeing me as human.”

 

“Half,” Wynonna said, letting out her last joke of the night that left the image of Waverly smiling happily as tears ran down her face before Wynonna locked herself in her room.

 

The sleepless night included a kind of relief that Waverly wasn’t expecting. Whilst for Wynonna it consisted in the tightening of her chest, bottling up her cries until she screamed into the pillow she held against her body. She couldn’t stop crying, her body clinging around the pillow as its cover was soaked in drops of the nonstop stream. She felt guilt. She felt closure. She felt the need to scream. She felt the need to be silent. She felt the dirt she had held on her body for years as a shield had to be washed off. But the tears that fell from her eyes would only clear her vision, nobody else’s. It was the words that would make everything clear. The words that she had searched for like looking for a Christmas tree in July, there was nothing to be found.

 

The tears that fell individually within the girls’ bedrooms made them float gently to sleep, unaware of what the day ahead consisted of.

 

* * * * *

 

“’Nonna,” Waverly whispered, one hand clutching the strap of her bag whilst the other gently rubbed Wynonna’s shoulder, awakening her from her slumber.

 

 _Hmh,_ Wynonna let out softly, her throat stinging as she spoke, her eyes feeling raw as she opened them halfway to see Waverly in front of her at the side of the bed. She quickly glanced at the clock beside her that flashed in bold letters _6:15._

 

“Waverly, what the hell? It’s not even close to a time I would be seen awake.” She mumbled as her face turned back into her pillow.

 

The memory of yesterday hit her as Waverly spoke, “I told you yesterday afternoon that the school needed me there today. I’ve got to be in for a meeting, you said you would drive Rosita to the bus station near the next town over.”

 

Wynonna sat up on the side of her bed, her hand holding Waverly’s as it fell from her shoulder, “Yeah, okay, sorry, I was meant to set an alarm but-“

 

Waverly looked down nervously, it was still extremely raw that she knew and the voice in her head was still telling her to tiptoe around every word she said in case something would blurt out. Her spiralling was put to a stop as she felt Wynonna tighten her grip, rubbing her thumb along the edge of Waverly’s hand.

 

“It’s- it’s okay. Can you go get her?”

 

Wynonna heard her bottling up what she knew would be an inconvenience of tears as she was about to leave for work, “Of course.”

 

“Thank you,” She replied quickly, giving her sister a kiss on the cheek before exiting her room.

 

Wynonna sat in the same spot until the roaring of Waverly’s car engine turned into white noise. She stood up and looked in the full body mirror placed next to her wardrobe, she was still in the clothes from the night before. She unbuttoned the jeans that she let drop to the floor, leaving marks along her stomach from the tightness. Quickly taking her top off, she opened the wardrobe door, picking out black skinny jeans and a white off the shoulder jumper.

 

Dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror once more, this time she noticed every detail. She felt the faux fur of the jumper as she tucked the side into the jeans before looking at her face. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her cheeks a pinker shade to the rest of her pale face. Her hair was slightly more curled as the tears had fallen into her hair, as well as laying in the damp pillow, causing it to lose its style she had blow-dried the day before. She had no time to do makeup as she had to be out in five minutes, so she combed her hair to be smoother than silk and quickly brushed her teeth before running to her car, picking up the coffee Waverly had prepared for her in the kitchen.

 

The whole ride she spent thinking of so many questions; _So she’s with Nicole? Does Nicole know I know? Does anyone else know? Does Rosita know? I mean she’s Waverly’s oldest friend. She seems like she wouldn’t mind._ Consumed by her own thoughts, she didn’t realise she hadn’t been playing any music until she reached Rosita’s house.

 

Staring out the window she saw Rosita walk out the front door, wheeling her suitcase behind her. Usually, she would just open the boot and watch as the person with bags struggled for her own amusement, but something felt different. She left the car running as she opened her door and jogged up to Rosita.

 

“Let me take that for you.”

 

Rosita softly smiled as Wynonna closed the extended handle before picking it up and making her way to the car, “Thank you.”

 

“Oh this, this it’s nothing,” Wynonna said opening the boot and boosting all her energy into her arms as she released the suitcase inside.

 

“No,” she laughed, “I mean for the ride.”

 

“Oh, of course. No problem.” Wynonna said as they made their ways into the car.

 

Wynonna adjusted her air-con as she shifted the gears and began to drive. The air outside was chilly from the early mist in the air, the car felt warm and safe to the both of them.

 

“Uh, if you want any music, I’ve got tapes in the glove box,” Wynonna said as she reached the end of the street.

 

Rosita smiled as she opened the compartment and started shifting the tapes around, the plastic of the cases rummaging against one another, “Is Waverly’s stuff in here too?”

 

“Should be, why?”

 

“I wanna see if- found it!” She showed a hint of excitement as she took off the casing and placed the tape into its slot.

 

The song began to play, Wynonna looked at Rosita as she awaited her reaction to her choice. The small vibrations made the car full of the sounds to _Five Years._

 

“No way. Bowie, out of all things, Bowie.” Wynonna smiled, almost laughing.

 

“Like him?” Rosita smirked.

 

“Like, that’s an understatement, I absolutely love him- wait, hang on, don’t give Waverly all the credit for this, this is the tape she stole from me.”

 

Wynonna’s passion in her voice to her love for music was a song to Rosita’s ears. People who were passionate always caught her attention, “Yeah? Well, I’m glad you introduced her to it or else I would probably not have picked him up.”

 

Wynonna smiled, “-and you chose the Ziggy album too. You’ve got taste ‘sita.”

 

“Well, I was introduced by the sister of the person with amazing taste.”

 

They laughed as they sang along to the end of the song, _Soul Love_ began to play as their laughs died out into quietness, their thoughts flowing.

 

“God, when was the last time we hung out?” Rosita asked.

 

A moment passed before she answered confidently, “Waverly’s sixteenth. It was just when I got fully out of hospital, do you remember? The party got pretty big so a small group of us snuck off into the basement. Of course, all you thought you were so cool because you were going to play spin the bottle for seven minutes in heaven-“

 

“Which you joined.” Rosita laughed.

 

“Yeah only ‘cos I was bored out of my mind and Doc had fallen asleep.”

 

Then it suddenly flashed before her eyes, the memory playing on fast forward of that night. The empty beer bottle that belonged to Wynonna laded on her. Then Rosita. They talked about something insignificant that was just the latest gossip at the time. Ten seconds before time was up. The feeling she had in her chest was the same she had that night, it tightened. Rosita had looked at her, her eyes smiling. Five seconds. They grew softer. Two seconds. Wynonna went to speak as she heard Jeremy yell time.

 

“Wynonna?” Rosita questioned bringing her out of her trance.

 

“Huh- sorry. Just lost in thought. A lot’s changed since then.” She exhaled.

 

“Yeah, you and Doc had a kid. Then the whole need to find the cursed people or whatever.” Rosita smiled.

 

The only people who truly knew what was going on in Purgatory was Waverly, Dolls, Doc and herself. They had only lightly explained to Jeremy and Rosita what the situation was as they needed their scientific expertise whilst dealing with various revenants and dangers. Nicole hadn’t seen much, only what she had read within the cases she filed, most of which the details were few.

 

“Yeah. I- I just can’t believe it’s been almost five years.” Wynonna spoke softly, astonished how she hadn’t seen her all these years.

 

“We should definitely hang out more, just you and I.” Rosita wondered looking out the front view window as they drove out of Purgatory. Realising what she had without realising she reassured her, “I mean if you’d like to-“

 

“It sounds nice, Rosita.” Wynonna looked back at her smiling.

 

The song shifted to the next one as Wynonna’s facial expression changed with it, her head slightly banging to the strums of the electric guitar, her hair whipping through the air like bolts of lighting as Rosita laughed, joining in as they sung the words out.

 

They reached the bus station as the chorus of _Starman_ began. Rosita got out and thanked her for the ride before closing the door, grabbing her suitcase out of the boot, moving quickly in case anyone else came to the drop off area. Wynonna quickly got out of her car and gave her a hug.

 

“What was that for?”

 

“Your birthday, and also staying friends with Waverly.” She whispered in her ear.

 

“Of course, we trust each other; know all each other's secrets.” She replied.

 

A small pause hit them as Wynonna turned serious, “All of them?”

 

“All.” She replied seriously.

 

“Even “since junior year, cheer tryouts”?”

 

Rosita was shocked at first, then grinned, “Even that.”

 

This made Wynonna hug her again, this time tighter. Rosita let go of the grip on her suitcase to hold onto the girls back. Wynonna’s face leant against her shoulder and the line of her neck, her hands holding onto parts of her hair.

 

“Thank you for being there when I couldn’t.”

 

A car rolled up behind a few moments later, pointing out that their embrace was over and it was time for Rosita to leave. Rosita pulled Wynonna back, seeing the tears fall from her eyes. She smiled empathetically, gaining confidence in herself so she wouldn’t cry, she whipped the tears from under Wynonna’s eyes with her thumbs, placing a kiss on her right cheek before grabbing the handle for her suitcase. She changed the tape to _Hunky Dory_ for the ride home. Wynonna had watched her walk away, her looking back and giving a small wave of her free hand stayed with Wynonna the whole ride home along with the care that had caressed her cheek.

 

* * * * *

 

Wynonna opened the door into the BBD office. She saw Waverly and Dolls sitting in swivel chairs besides each other looking over evidence and cases. Wynonna wasn’t ready to see her yet, and the shy look Waverly gave her as her attention shifted to the door didn’t help.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I took a wrong turn and got a little lost on the way back.” Wynonna said holding up her coffee in one hand and a bag of apology doughnuts from Shorty’s in the other.

 

“It’s fine, take a seat.” Dolls replied, catching the bag of doughnuts and picking out a strawberry doughnut before handing the bag to Waverly beside him.

 

She smiled a little at the sight of the extra big vanilla dipped doughnut in the bag, “Thanks ‘Nonna.”

 

Wynonna smiled slightly awkwardly back, they hadn’t properly talked since the night before, “Don’t sweat it. So what have we got today?”

 

They went over any updated evidence of any leads of suspicious behaviour by residents that could possibly be the last revenant. Dolls eventually went to do his own investigating, leaving Wynonna and Waverly on their own.

 

They quiet flip through papers until Wynonna breaks the silence, “You doing anything after this, baby girl?”

 

Waverly shifts slightly in her seat, “Yeah I was just about to go out with Nicole, but I can cancel if you want-“

 

“No,” Wynonna interrupts, “don’t do that. Go have fun, angel.”

 

Wynonna smiles warmly at her sister, who is grinning at how relaxed she seemed whilst comparing her to last night. She said her farewell to Dolls as she walked out, seeing Nicole frustratingly trying to get someone into a cell. It wasn’t until she caught up with her and the cell door was closed that she realised who it was. Champ Hardy.

 

“Oh god, not again,” Waverly said to herself at the sight of him.

 

“What?” Nicole questioned as she heard her familiar voice.

 

“Waverly,” Champ’s words were slurred as the chains around his wrist scratched the bars as he tried to reach out to her, “I knew you would come back for me, get me out of here.”

 

“Champ, you’re drunk. It’s barely 10 am. You said you were going to take care of yourself.” Her voice was stern yet full with concern, Nicole stayed quiet.

 

“Why would I do that when I have you to take care of me?”

 

“Champ,” Waverly sighed, “again, for the millionth time, we aren’t together anymore. I’m not cleaning up the spilt milk you dropped.”

 

“-but Waverly.” He reached his hands out further before Nicole stepped in.

 

“Hardy hands behind the bars please.”

 

Nicole grasped Waverly’s hand as the began to walk away, leaving Champ’s calls behind. They made their way to a phone booth within the building, it was placed in a small hide within the wall allowed them privacy.

 

“Waverly, are you and Champ actually over- because it sure seems like he doesn’t think so.”

 

“Yes, Nicole, we are. Champ’s just got, well, a lot of problems. His obsession with intoxication doesn’t help, he tends to forget things. He either thinks we’re still in a relationship or is asking me to get back with him. I’m sorry, I just don’t know how I can stop it.”

 

Nicole sighs, “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out, make him get the message.”

 

Nicole moves the hair out of Waverly’s face, her fingertips slowly stroking its silk touch, “How on earth did I get someone like you?”

 

Nicole laughed a little, “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean… you’re just, so, understanding.”

 

Nicole smiled, quickly pecking the girls’ lips before walking off resuming back to her spot at the front desk, Waverly following by her side.

 

* * * * *

 

“Guess it’s just you and I, huh, Dolls,” Wynonna said, tapping her hands to a small beat at the edge of his desk.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Dolls said after immediately realising Waverly had left.

 

“Tell you what?”

 

“About Waverly, Wynonna. This is so good.” He smiles, standing up from his chair.

 

“How?” She said crossed armed, looking down at the floor, the tips of her left foot bouncing off of the floor.

 

“Well, wouldn’t her telling you... help you open up to her?” He reassured her in his tone that it was okay for her to speak her mind.

 

“God, Dolls, I wish it were that easy.”

 

Wynonna began to pace back and forth in front of the desk Dolls leaned against. Her mind began to run with thoughts and words that she found hard to piece together. Eventually, her control was lost as she began saying as many things as possible at once.

 

“My initial reaction was to tell her what they told me at the hospital. That _fucking hospital_ , putting words in my head. _It’s all part of my crazy talk. It’s not actually me, it’s the voices in my head being disobedient._ It took me so long to realise it wasn’t part of my diagnosis, Dolls. How I feel is… real, and how Waverly feels is real. The only thing I’ve ever heard was that the way I was feeling was bad, so I didn’t know how to tell her that…”

 

“That you feel the same as she does.” Dolls whispered.

 

Wynonna nodded in a reply, a tear of frustration rolled down her cheek as Dolls pulled her in for a hug. He ran his hands along the upper half of her back to comfort her as she continued talking, her words slightly muffled by the touch of Dolls clothes lying on her face.

 

“I mean, I don’t know about her even though she has her eyes set of Officer Haught, but I’ve always liked guys. Always, but when I see any sort of future of me as a middle-aged woman with Alice in my arms again… I see me with a woman.”

 

“Explains why you didn’t want me or Doc.” Dolls added sarcastically.

 

“Shut up.” Wynonna snickered a little, “I kind of always have, thought in that way, and I never knew how Waverly would react to that, but now that I know that she’s,” Wynonna’s thoughts hold for a second, “ I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

 

“You’ll know when the time is right ‘nonna, just like the time was right for Waverly.”

 

“I know,” she spoke holding him tighter, “thank you.”

 

* * * * *

 

Three days on silence passed. Even though they were in the same house, the Earp sisters couldn’t be further apart, their atmospheres only colliding a few times a day, saying simple things such as _I’m going out_ or _can you pass the salt_. The house was usually silent, the quiet hum of the television and radio heard every once in a while. Wynonna spent most of her time at the station with Dolls whilst Waverly would spend her days out as it was the weekend.

 

On this Monday night, Wynonna was home alone. Waverly said she was going to dinner. There was leftover Chinese food in the fridge which Wynonna ate out of the container, plopped in front of the TV watching a rerun of _Fawlty Towers_. Monday nights were never anything special, but this was the first was Wynonna felt like there was truly nothing to do. Her mind was still running with thoughts, yet there were so many she was numb to them.

 

Sighing, she set the empty container on the coffee table in front of her. _Is there really nothing to do right now but get drunk_ , she thought getting up to head towards the kitchen, stopping in her path as she heard a knock at the door. She stumbles her way towards the door, her grey top was still beneath her red unbuttoned flannel which edges moved as she did against the high waisted boyfriend jeans.

 

Who stood at the door wasn’t who she was expecting. The yellow taxi began to drive off as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

 

“Hey Wynonna,” the girls' voice was soft and strained as she fiddled with the top of her suitcase, “is, uh- is Waverly home?”

 

“Rosita? Waverly’s out- aren’t you supposed to be on holiday?” Wynonna lifted the girls face up slightly so the light would hit it, exposing the tears rolling down her face. “Hey-“

 

“I just _really_ can’t be alone right now.” She sobbed as Wynonna pulled her into an embrace.

 

“Hey, come on,“ She pulled back, whipping the tears off of Rosita’s cheeks before grabbing the keys off the hook next to the door, along with her _Adidas Superstars_ and closing the door behind her, “let’s get out of here.”

 

She quickly slipped on the shoes with already tied laces before grasping Rosita’s suitcase in her left hand, wrapping her right arm around the girls back as they walked to aunt Gus’ blue and white pick up. Wynonna unlocked the hatch to the back and slid the girls' suitcase up against the back before joining the girl in the car.

 

Turning the key she noticed Rosita seemed to be distracting herself, tears still streaming down her face she shuffled through the cassettes in the car. As Wynonna begins driving Rosita sniffs her nose,

 

“You know it doesn’t help that you have a good taste in music and so many options in here.”

 

Wynonna grinned, quickly glancing over at the girl who had a slight grin on her face, “It does help though, when I’m in a rush I can just pick up whatever and my hears will be blessed with whatever I chose.”

 

 _Hmm_ , Rosita hums thinking before closing her eyes and rummaging through the glove box, randomly picking up a cassette. She seems impressed as she slots the cassette into the compartment, the speakers begin to play _Movin’ Out by Billy Joel._

 

“It’s The Strangers album, isn’t it? When this came out I played it for a month straight. I drove everyone crazy, Waverly, the nurses, they wanted something new.”

 

Rosita laughed as she imagined nineteen-year-old Wynonna dancing around the Earp homestead and hospital, probably bolting the lyrics as loud as possible. She could tell that Wynonna had gotten a lot happier since then. She remembered the day the gun started working when Wynonna was only twenty-two, five years earlier than it should of. Rosita’s heart rate increased at the thought. To distract herself, she looked out the window and watched as the trees passed the car.

 

“Where are we going?” She cleared her throat, whipping the tears off of her cheek.

 

“Somewhere to talk.” Wynonna voice spoke calmly, reassuring her everything would be okay.

 

The drive was silent for the most part as they reached the end of the song Wynonna backed the car into park. She kept the tape playing as she turned the engine off. Rosita looked around, Wynonna had driven up a small hill but was unaware as to where they were due to the amount of bush.

 

“Wynonna, where-“

 

“Just trust me.” She smiled, taking the keys out of the engine, turning up the volume of _The Stranger_ playing before climbing out of the car.

 

Rosita gave her a confused look out the window, but Wynonna just gestured her hand for her to join as she walked towards the long boot of the car, where she unlatched the back and sat on it. Rosita breathed heavily as she forced herself to move out of the seat to join her. With the car door closed she could still hear the hum of the music. As she got closer to the edge of the hill she would see the lights of the whole town, mainly from streetlights and neon signs.

 

 _Woah_ , she hadn’t even known that there was a lookout there.

 

Wynonna laughed a little at her reaction as she sat down next to her, their shoes knocking against one another. There was a moment of silence as they look at one another, a boiling drop of water falling from Rosita’s eyes, that streamed quickly down her cheek that made Wynonna realise how affected she was by what had happened. Wynonna moved slightly closer to Rosita, placing her hand on her knee, caressing it in comfort.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She whispered.

 

Rosita exhaled, “I fought with my family.”

 

“What? How?”

 

Rosita took in Wynonna’s shocked reaction, “I know. It was pretty which everyone against my cousins. It’s like they completely forgot about all of our birthdays, but that’s not even the point. We’re the only family that moved away, and they said it was all a curse and because of us we are “going to break up the family”, like how is us not even being there going to ruin things? They kept going on about the curse though, constantly saying we were cursed, something about our generation or something. It was completely ridiculous and seemed like it was out of nowhere. Whenever I tried to talk civilly they-“ her words became mumbled as the sprinkles of raindrops that where her tears turned into rain, “-they just kept yelling. It got so loud that even a building collapsing would have been quieter.”

 

“Jesus. What assholes.” Wynonna moved to her side, placing her free hand on the girls back, rubbing it gently.

 

The comfort of Wynonna’s touch was like a lullaby as her streams of tears came to a stop. Her head had leaned onto her shoulder as she held her, feeling every movement of the girl that held her. The small movement of her thumb on the side of her knee, the opening and closing of her fingers on her back, her nails gliding across her exposed skin that made her shudder every time she felt them. She felt the rise and fall of her chest, eventually her own was moving in synchronicity. Rosita exhales, sitting up and wipes the remains of her tears off of her face. Her hand falls on the metal of the boot in between herself and Wynonna. The song fades out and _Just the Way You Are_ begins to play.

 

Rosita looks out toward the lights as Wynonna’s hands drop, the hand on her knee to falls on top of her hand in between them. The air feels slightly thinner than before; the coolness of the late hours begins to settle. Rosita timidly adjusts her hand beneath Wynonna’s, their fingers interlock.

 

“Thank you for taking me here, Wynonna.” She says with her sight still on the town.

 

Wynonna’s head turns, the distant glow of the town creates an outline of her face, her eyes sparkling in reflection. She tightens her grip slightly on the girls’ hand,

 

“Rosita?” She whispers.

 

“ _Hmm_ ,” She answers, her head slightly delayed as her attention falls to the girl.

 

Her voice shook as every word came out, “There- there was something I wanted to do in the car before when I was driving you to the bus station… but I didn’t.”

 

“What was it?” She asked, their eyes flickering at one another.

 

Wynonna exhaled on her breathe she didn’t realise she was holding, her chest falling yet pulling with the tension of uncertainty. Her eyes dropped to the curves of the girls’ lips.

 

She brushed the few strands of hair that were tangled together out of Rosita’s face to behind her ear, “I don’t think you’ll like it.”

 

Rosita’s focus became blurred as their faces became as close as they were that night many years ago in the cupboard, “Try me.”

 

Wynonna’s hand fell off of the grip of the girls’ hair to her jawline, her fingertips tugging it slightly as she pressed her lips against the girls’. It was a feeling that Wynonna was unaware she needed as much as she did at that moment. All the roughness in her life felt as it had disappeared, the touch of Rosita’s lips brushing along her own felt blissful. Her hands dropped to the girls’ back as they grew closer, their legs slowly entwining with one another, Rosita’s hands finding comfort within the silk of Wynonna’s hair.

 

Wynonna’s head fell back for a second, unaware if Rosita did reciprocate the same feelings as her. Their breaths where short whispers to one another, Rosita’s eye’s locked on the slight movements of Wynonna’s lips as they breathed the same air. Rosita’s hands moved deeper into the girls’ hair and Wynonna’s hands held tighter around her back as the tanned girl couldn’t resist another moment where they weren’t touching. They both knew this was something they both wanted to happen since their seven minutes together.

 

Their foreheads pressed against one another as they smiled, almost giggling at the amount of delight within them. They heard the bell of the church ring from the outskirts of town, Wynonna quickly turning her head to the car's clock that read 00:00.

 

“It’s Tuesday isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, it is,” Wynonna smiled as her attention shifted back onto the girl in front of her, “happy birthday, Rosita. I’m sorry you’re not with your family like you planned.”

 

“Are you kidding?” She smiled, kissing her once more, “This is the best birthday I could ever ask for.”

 

* * * * *

 

Wynonna placed the key on the hook and slid off her shoes next to the door. She walked into the living room to see Waverly in the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand. The room felt stuffy, Wynonna took her flannel off as Waverly spoke,

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hey,” she answered with an awkward silence accompanied, “how was your date or whatever?”

 

“Good.” Waverly answered placing the glass in the sink and walking up to her sister after a short pause, “is that all?”

 

Wynonna stayed silent, it wasn’t even summer yet the air felt as thick as the hottest day of the year. She was unable to speak. Waverly noted her silence and began to walk to the staircase.

 

“Wait.” She spoke lightly, “I… I want to talk.”

 

“So then talk,” Waverly said making her way back to her sisters’ side, “please, just talk.”

 

Wynonna felt the tears welling up in her eyes, “I don’t know how.”

 

Waverly’s voice grew frustrated, “You don’t know how. You don’t know when. You need time. You say you always need time but you never seem to get around to actually saying it, so please, I’m begging you; tell me how you feel now because I can’t stand the pain of waiting to know if my own sister is okay for me being who I am! So tell me!”

 

Waverly’s voice slightly echoed throughout the house, it slowly reached too far for them to hear and fell silent. Tears fell from Wynonna’s eyes, her head facing down, afraid of the truth that was bursting to come out of her.

 

“Just as I thought.” Waverly’s hurt was heard as she turned around to make her way up the stairs.

 

Wynonna snapped. Her voice bolted, after the number of years she had kept it from her, she couldn’t help but scream what she had wanted to tell her for the past few days, and the years before so.

 

“I didn’t need time to think about you, Waverly!” Waverly turned around at the sound of Wynonna’s cries.

 

Waverly had tears leaving trails of liquid down her cheeks as Wynonna clarified in a whisper, “I needed time to think about me.”

 

Waverly was only confused for a moment, before running to her sisters’ side. They held each other as they cried for what felt like hours, they wiped each other's tears, they finally talked after the infinity of three days of silence. Waverly understood why she needed time, once it becomes personal Wynonna usually gets distant, she couldn’t help it, but now, she finally knew why, afraid of something slipping out that she didn’t mean to say.

 

They talked, they cried, they laughed until the overwhelming emotions ended as the sun began to rise as they drifted into slumber.


	6. Painting in Cursive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya!
> 
> so i've made up a playlist for the mixtape that plays within this chapter: https://open.spotify.com/user/stylistarz/playlist/1DF0Wqvf0Q16xJioczeLcB?si=0YU5aIfhQyShD_ovTwc_mA

**Chapter Six: Painting in Cursive**

 

Waverly pulled her white crop top over her head and tightened the elastic which held her high ponytail in place, allowing her natural waves to fall to the halfway point of her back. She brushed her hands on her blue mom jeans as she looked at the outfit as a whole in her full-length mirror near her closet. She grunted slightly frustrated before Wynonna opened the door to her room, seeing her sister flopping her body onto her bed as she groaned.

 

“Something the matter, sis?” Wynonna asked sarcastically.

 

Waverly mumbled before flipping her body around to look at her sister who stood with her arms crossed at her doorframe, “She said smart casual cause we both don’t know what we’re even doing tonight, but it’s the only time we both have the whole night off this week so we can’t reschedule… what even is smart casual? Because what if I'm slightly overdressed and to formal, or what if I’m underdre-“

 

“Waverly, calm down before you give yourself a heart attack,” Wynonna commented on her sisters increase in speed and panicked voice, “you look great!”

 

“Are you sure?” She said feeling somewhat reassured as she stood up, looking at herself in the mirror, moving side to side in her healed black boots.

 

“Definitely,” Wynonna said putting her chin on her sisters’ shoulder.

 

They looked at each other with a new understanding. They had both released the thing which they held back from in every conversation, now their words flew with confidence. They made their way downstairs, Waverly in the kitchen for a drink of water and Wynonna making her way to the door after she heard a small knock. She opened it to see the tall redhead on the other side. Wynonna could see the nerves rise in her face when she saw it wasn’t Waverly who opened the door. _I could have fun with this_ , she thought as she smiled,

 

“Hey, Haught stuff.”

 

“Hi Wynonna, is Waverly home?” Nicole asked as politely as she could, her and Wynonna were friendly colleagues but they didn’t know each other too well, but that didn’t stop Wynonna wanting to have fun, it never did.

 

Wynonna leant her arm on the fully opened, blocking Nicole’s entrance inside, “Yes she is, why are you asking?”

 

“I- we’re going out.”

 

Wynonna grinned, “Really? Who with?”

 

“Just the two of us.”

 

“So; the two of you. Alone.”

 

“Yeah,” Nicole was nervous as she was unaware of how much Wynonna knew of her developing relationship with Waverly, “we’re friends after all.”

 

“Friends,” Wynonna scoffed, “well Nicole, I don’t think friends eat each other ou-“

 

“Nicole, hi!” Waverly appeared quickly, ducking under Wynonna’s arm and pushing her back into the house, “Ignore her.”

 

Nicole laughed slightly as she listened to the echo of Wynonna’s voice in the distance, “Don’t listen to her, she’s manipulating you. Everything I have to say is of importance.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes at her sister as Nicole spoke, “You ready to go?”

 

“I’m ready when you are.” Nicole smiled as Waverly picked up her bag off of the side table next to the door.

 

“Wait!” Wynonna yelled from the kitchen as she jogged to the front door.

 

“No,” Waverly replied taking a step onto the veranda.

 

“I just have a question for Nicole.”

 

“No,” Waverly repeated rolling her eyes.

 

“Do you have a cat, Nicole?” Wynonna asked with a grin on her face.

 

“Please don’t answer that,” Waverly whispered to Nicole.

 

“Uh- yeah I do.”

 

Wynonna began to laugh as Waverly huffed, “Wynonna, don’t-“

 

“Wow she really does love pussy, huh” Wynonna laughed as Waverly closed the front door and turned to Nicole.

 

The girls’ cheeks matched the colour of her hair as her expression changed from confused to shocked. Her mouth was hanging open slightly as if she were ready to reply to Wynonna’s comment. Waverly smiled slightly, taking her hand as they began to make their way to Nicole’s car,

 

“Wynonna’s humour is… something else. You’ll get used to it.”

 

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I hope so.”

 

The sound of the door closing left a silence within the car. Nicole felt the small bumps of the key sliding into the slot, a turn away from turning on the car. Except, she held the key in place as her mind replayed what had just occurred.

 

“Is everything okay?” Waverly asked as she saw the red heads eyes searching for something within her mind.

 

Nicole looked over quickly, flashing a quick dimpled smile for reassurance, “Yeah, totally. It’s just… does Wynonna know about, you know, you, and this?”

 

Waverly grinned shyly before nodding her head. She began to smile as she spoke, “I told her last week. It was kind of rough at first, but she really is okay with everything.”

 

Nicole exhaled as a beam of relief rested on her face before Waverly questioned, “Does your mum know?”

 

“Uh- yeah she does. I told her last month.”

 

“Okay,“ Waverly laughed a little, “Glad we got the cat out of the bag.”

 

“Maybe don’t mention cats right after Wynonna’s pussy joke,” Nicole said in slight disgust.

 

Waverly playfully hit the girls arm, laughing whilst gesturing her to get going. Nicole turned the keys and heard the engine started up. They decided to head to Nicole’s house as they felt there wasn’t much to do. The radio began to play _Secrets by Tears For Fears_ which floated the feeling of a blissful breeze within the car. Waverly’s view shifted from the familiar streets that passed her by to Nicole. At this moment, with her alone, the golden hour shining in their view, the street’s mainly empty and the small glow of streetlights passing them by, Waverly felt invincible. Nothing could ruin the way she felt, for once she felt like peace was on her side.

 

She looked at the grip the redhead had on the steering wheel, her fingertips in a light coat of an array of fainted colours. _Paint_ , Waverly thought to herself. Her hand held her head in Nicole’s direction, her elbow resting on the small ledge of the car door before it hits the window. Her left foot on the chair, her free hand holding her leg below her knee. Her blinks felt like they dragged, the scenery feeling like it was moving at half speed.

 

The red-haired girl looked at the one beside her for only a moment, but it was a sight that was stamped into her memory. Her expression shifted as Nicole turned to her, her slightly parted lips turned to a simpered grin, her moon eyes creasing in the outer corners. She noticed how her body was shifted on the seat. Relaxed. Her curves perfectly imperfect within her own comfort. She watched her head slightly tilt before the girls’ view shifted to the windshield, exposing her neck as the girls’ long hair draped behind her ear.

 

Both of their views shifted to outside the car, looking out at the golden glow that came from the sun setting in the distance. No matter how encapsulating the sight was, their minds still lingered on one another.

 

The short ride to Nicole’s consisted of small glances between themselves and the scenery, watching the lights and shadows of the arising night run along the curves of one another’s face.

 

Nicole’s fingers twitched upon the touch of Waverly’s hand brushing against hers as they made their way to her front door. With the turn of the key, they both entered the house.

 

“Feel free to look around” Nicole smiled as she began to take her jacket off to hang on the stand next to the door.

 

Waverly smiled as she wandered from the small hallway that leads from the door to the stairs to the side entrance of the living room which was connected to the kitchen on the other side. Nicole’s house was cosy and warm, filled with neutral tones and plants scattered around. The wooden floor was old yet didn’t creek, it felt stuck in a time of comfort. Her attention draws to the coffee table in front of her as she spots two glasses of coloured water with paint brushes resting to the side of them beside a small pallet of watercolours. A book sat on the table on top of some old newspaper, the page open to feel the air within the room as it dried from the strokes of paint that laid around the pencilled in sketches below the words. They weren’t just any sketches; they were Waverly’s. A smile shot across her face,

 

“It’s beautiful, Nicole.”

 

The noise of Nicole’s feet shuffling along the floor landed next to Waverly, “What is?”

 

“Your paintings.”

 

Nicole smiled shyly before walking over to her radio cassette player, pressing down the play button, the beginning of _Blackbird by The Beatles._ The tape was a mix Nicole and her mother had made as it had songs they both liked. Nicole always made an effort to connect to her mum in any way possible and spend time with her. Time, the one thing she had lost a lot of with her, and she didn’t want to lose anymore.

 

“I’m only filling in the empty slots, your sketches are really good, Waverly.”

 

Nicole’s words were sincere and her voice was soothing to the brunette’s ears. She couldn’t resist the smile that crept upon her face. Nicole’s words left her a little speechless, Nicole could tell by the way the girl’s eyes glissaded whilst she bit her lower lip.

 

She couldn’t help but smile back at the sight, “Would you like a drink?”

 

Waverly nodded shyly, taking a seat on the couch behind the coffee table up against the wall. Nicole walks into the kitchen momentarily whilst Waverly waits, she feels as if she’s in a trance as the music fills her ears whilst she looks at the book. The drawing was one of Scout in overalls with a grin on her face, Nicole had painted the overalls a light blue with a yellow shirt underneath, the hair was a dusty brown and cheeks slightly red around the freckles.

 

Nicole walked out holding two wine glasses, the deep maroon of cherry swirling slightly with each step. She sat beside Waverly, their legs brushing besides one another. Nicole held out Waverly’s glass, their hands connecting slightly as Waverly took it out of her hand, the tender feeling rushed through each other's bodies. Their eyes were stuck on one another as they both took a small sip, placing the glasses beside the paint. Waverly licked the wine that remained on her lips off, Nicole’s heart skipped. The tension was on the edge of snapping, both in a trance from the depth of one another’s eyes that twinkled like fairy lights.

 

A knock at a door broke their gazes, Waverly slightly jumping in her seat. Nicole smiled slightly before getting up to answer the door, confused to who it could be at this time.

 

“Hello- mum?”

 

“Hi sweetheart,” Arabel said smiling as she entered the house before Nicole could stop her.

 

Slightly panicking, Nicole pulled lightly on her shoulder causing her to turn around before seeing the entrance to the living room where Waverly sat, “Uh, what are you doing here?”

 

“What, can I not just visit my daughter?” She replied sarcastically.

 

“Yeah, but- wait,” Nicole paused as she saw the rectangular box in her mothers’ hand, “What is that?”

 

“I found them, your old cassettes,” she smiled, turning around to enter the living room to place them on the coffee table, “I saw your car drive past and I thought I’d just drop them off-“

 

Arabel stopped in her path a few steps away from the edge of the coffee table, her eyes slightly displaying shocked to see the Earp girl sat at the other side of the table, swallowing the wine in her mouth, unclear of what to say. Panic started to rise in both Waverly and Nicole, meeting the parents wasn’t something they planned on doing anytime soon.

 

She slowly set the box on the edge of the table, “Oh, I didn’t know you were having a guest over.”

 

“Uh- yeah, mum this is-“

 

“Waverly,” she finished, standing and making her way around the table with her hand held out, “Waverly Earp. You must be Mrs Haught?”

 

“Please,” she took the girls’ hand, “call me Arabel.”

 

Waverly smiled politely, looking over at Nicole who had a similar one beaming across her face. Waverly Earp, the girl with the smile and wave still had it.

 

“Waverly, as in the same Waverly who drew those amazing sketches and fascinating notes in my book?”

 

Waverly grins bashfully, her focus shifting to the book, “Funny you mention them because we I was just talking about how amazing your daughters' painting is.”

 

Nicole whispers quickly in her mothers’ ear, “I’ll get you a drink.”

 

“Oh, darling you really don’t have to.”

 

“It’s okay, mum, you don’t mind her staying for a little?”

 

“No, not at all,” Waverly’s voice was full of excitement, “I actually want to talk about your notes.”

 

They must have spent an hour going back and forth between what one another thought of the book along with other topics, Nicole’s mother insisting on the two of them watching the film. For the most part, Waverly watched how Nicole would communicate with her mother, it was a sight she wasn’t used to. The smiling and laughing, there was no tension between the words they spoke to one another. She saw the love in Arabel’s eyes for her daughter, how she had fought through loneliness and morning for her. The attentiveness in Nicole’s eyes is what she saw the most, the care for her mother; knowing deep down she wanted every moment in her mothers’ life to be filled with happiness. After the time passed and the half-filled glasses of cherry emptied, they bid each other their goodbyes. Nicole watched her mother walk down the street towards her own house from the front window within the kitchen, double checking if the wine hadn’t affected her balance. Waverly leant against the doorframe of the kitchen, the tone in her voice sounded serious as it whispered,

 

“How did you deal with it?”

 

Nicole turned around to look at her, she looked small, her right hand holding her left arm. Her head was dipped down to the floor yet her eyes were on Nicole. The pain in her eyes was visible, whether it was from knowing her past of Waverly’s own relationship with her own, the uncertainty or hardness was apparent.

 

Nicole leant against the other side of the door frame, her hands taking Waverly’s, the tips of her thumbs stroking the palms of her hands. The cassette was playing through once more as Arabel had put it on again before leaving, the quietness of _Moon River by Audrey Hepburn_ being heard by the both of them during Nicole’s small breathes as she explained.

 

After Nicole’s fathers’ death, her mother was admitted into hospital with a diagnosis of depressive disorder. Even though she was extremely young, Nicole understood the way she felt about her father’s death, it was a feeling that affected every aspect of her being and knowing her mother felt the same way made her miserable, which is when she decided that she would try her hardest to be the light in her mothers’ life. Not remind her of what she had lost, but gained out of her life with him. She visited as often as possible, and when she did they would stay in the art room. Her mother would paint on one of the supplied canvases whilst Nicole would tell her ideas of things she wanted to her mother to paint. For Christmas when she was five, her mother gifted her a paint set through the mail, the card read “now you can paint them yourself”. Nicole explained how she would paint almost day and send a bundle of her works once a month. She did this for around six years until her mother was released. It was never easy for Nicole, sometimes she could deal with her situation that she would stay home instead of going to school and spent the day painting. It wasn’t an escape; it was a connection to her mother. Once she got her back and became more focused on wanting to join the police force, her daily paintings became monthly and monthly became yearly.

 

“I painted for her. I knew it made her happy, and I knew she was upset.” Nicole didn’t realise that her view was fixated on the floor until she heard a small sniffle from Waverly who stood in front of her, holding onto her hands tight, on the verge of tears. The song _Dream A Little Dream Of Me by The Mamas & The Papas _ran smoothly through the speakers.

 

“Waves, hey,“ Nicole took a step forward, whipping the tear that fell onto her cheek, “I would have stopped if I saw it was upsetting you.”

 

“No. I wouldn’t have wanted you to.” She whimpered.

 

Waverly began to see how extremely lucky she had gotten. Nicole was nothing but gentle and kind, her every move having the best intentions not just for herself but for the people surrounding her. Selflessness ran thick in her blood, care beamed like a bright light through her expressions, the beauty of her soul displayed through her actions. Waverly could stop the gravitational pull of her falling for the woman who stood in front of her; wearing her heart on her sleeve for the world to see.

 

Waverly couldn’t think of anything else, her feelings for another had never felt as real as the ones she felt in that moment, “It’s just so beautiful, Nicole. You’re…” her words felt lost, beautiful wasn’t nearly as good enough to use to describe her. A million words must have passed through her mind. Nicole’s hands placed on her jawline made her mind stop racing, landing on the only word that came close to her description, her vocalisation was quiet, said within a breath,

 

“Impeccable.”

 

The light curl of the sides of Nicole’s lips along with the quietest tug from her fingertips across the brunettes’ face caused the girl to collapse into the embrace. Their lips communicated a new understanding, they both felt it was too soon to fall, but they couldn’t stop themselves, nor did Waverly want to. She walked slightly more forward into Nicole’s grip around her waist, which then lifted her up, Waverly’s back lightly hitting the edge of the doorframe, her legs wrapped around the tall girls back.

 

It all felt so fast and slow at the same time, each girl had one of their hands in the other's hair, grasping onto the ends of the silk touch as they gasped for air in between kisses. They parted momentarily, sharing an exchange of understanding through sweetened eyes. Waverly’s lips were parted and shaking slightly, addicted to the touch of beauty in front of her. Nicole lightly brushed her lips against the girls before her tongue tasted the remaining linger of cherry wine within Waverly’s mouth. The sweetness made Nicole more passionate for more.

 

The touch that was still unfamiliar to Waverly made her hips jolt slightly, her back leaving the wall to be caught in Nicole’s arms. Her lips fell to the taller girls’ neck as she began to walk towards the staircase. The lightness of Waverly made each step easy, the girls' attention to her pulse points drove her into her bedroom, which was dimly lit by a lamp within the corner of the room. Nicole placed Waverly down on the edge of the bed, the both of them fidgeting at their own feet, kicking their shoes off whilst the hum of mixtape played downstairs. Waverly’s hands found their way to the girls’ waist, feeling her skin beneath the hemline of her red tank top, her soft skin contrasting to the small skids her fingers made along her black jeans. She stood up, her hands riding up her sides, brushing along her laced bra before grasping the top from underneath and pulling it upwards. Waverly’s touch made Nicole’s mind race, her touch was one she needed. She wanted to know her, all of her. She grasped the ends of her crop top as quickly as possible, one hand pulling it over her head and the other around the girls toned back to pull her further in so their lips could connect immediately after the clothing had left her being.

 

Waverly couldn’t help herself, her hands running up and down the girls’ body, searching for something more as their lips built momentum and pressure against one another. Her body pulled back as she found her way to the button of Nicole’s jeans, tugging at them as the button undoes. She pulls on the zip and the oversized pants fall to the floor. There she is, Nicole Haught, looking at her with those glistening eyes, only dressed in baby blue laced underwear. Nicole’s fingertips held the singular button on Waverly’s jeans, her body tempted to continue but her mind holding her back as she asked,

 

“Waverly, are you sure?”

 

The girl nodded, smiling as she stroked the strands of auburn in front of her hair behind her ears before kissing her lips, her tongue sliding along them as Nicole undid her jeans. The drop of them stopped around her knees as she leaned her body back onto the bed. Nicole pulled them all the way down her legs, she ran the tips of her nails along the girls figure up to the curves her waist, the feeling made Waverly shiver.

 

With slight shifts Waverly moved back further onto the bed, Nicole’s legs crawled in between hers as her body hovered over her. Nicole’s lips made their way from the girls’ lips to her neck and chest. Each small nip of Nicole’s mouth at work made Waverly more and more comfortable within her arms, it was an act of care in which she hadn’t experienced before. Her fingers danced along the redheads back, grasping at the hooks of her bra that she detached with a slight pinch. They fell down her arms, Waverly pulled the straps off where they landed on Nicole’s wrist. Waverly sat up slightly, nipping at Nicole’s neck, her thumb brushing across her nipple and Nicole responding to the feeling with a slight whimper whilst her hands worked towards Waverly’s black laced bra, unhooking and pulling it off of her body before she laid back down.

 

Nicole placed her hand on the lace on Waverly’s underwear in between her thighs, applying her weight as pressure to where her fingers curled against the fabric. A breathless whimper escaped from within her as her hips began to pick up a momentum, the feeling of the person who enabled her to see everything good was a feeling she craved within her. Waverly scratched the girls’ shoulder blades as she pulled the fabric down, her fingers entering the last part of Waverly she hadn’t touched.

 

Waverly gasped for air at the sensation that stirred within her, she couldn’t control any of her actions any longer. Things began to feel blurry as Nicole’s lips linked with hers, her hand found their way to the edges of Nicole’s underwear, tugging them down slightly. Nicole parted from her lips as she looked into the girls' eyes whilst she explained in an utter,

 

“I want you to feel how I do.”

 

Nicole loses balance slightly at her touch. Her angelic softness hits her most timid point immediately causing a whine of pleasure to escape. The air they breathed built to be as thick as fog, their hips thrusts became quicker and more forced than before. Waverly’s breath staggered before it held, her hips forced to the highest point possible before her voice cried out Nicole’s name to only be cut off by her collapsing into her hold. Waverly grasped the fire coloured locks of her hair as she felt all of Nicole’s weight fall onto the pressure her fingers gave off. Nicole cried out the girls’ name as her body rolled, the both of them removing their touch from one another, their hips grinding on one another to allow the sense to continue.

 

Nicole smiled into the touch of the other girls’ lips, the sounds of her jagged breath against her ear as she kissed the end of her jawline before she whispered, “Keep your legs apart.”

 

Waverly unquestioningly does so, loosening the grip her legs held on Nicole’s sides as she begins to kiss down her neck onto her chest. She slightly drags her teeth long Waverly’s nipple before soothing the touch with her tongue. Waverly feels overwhelmed in the best possible way as Nicole makes her way to the edges of the brunettes’ thigh. She kisses both sides before the middle.

 

Nicole thought the taste of Waverly’s mouth was addicting, there was absolutely no way of preparing for the one she was experiencing now. Waverly gasped as Nicole kissed her below with delicacy, she rocked slowly as Nicole’s hands ran along the sides of her hips. Again, she called out her name, except this time it wasn’t suddenly cut off by the unfamiliar feeling; this time she cried for more. She craved more. Her fingers tangled in the flames of her hair, tugging slightly at them as Nicole spoke in tongues to her body, and her body responding back. With the whimpers of cusses, she felt her body fall for the second time before Nicole made her eye contact back to Waverly’s face, whipping the end on her tongue with the tips of her fingers.

 

That action quickly stopped as Waverly pulled on the back on Nicole’s neck to bring her closer, her tongue falling through the cracks of Nicole’s parted lips. The kissed became harder and deeper as she tasted what lingered within the girls’ mouth.

 

“Nicole,” she pulled back slightly, both their minds blurred and eyes with an unclear focus, “I want to know what you taste like.”

 

The girls' face was serious, her panting was small as she spoke, “Are you sure?”

 

“Certain.” She replied, pulling at the girls’ neck before turning over.

 

The sudden shift made her body feel weak as her legs landed in between Nicole’s, the tenderness that she still felt made her breathing heavy again as she pressed her lips upon Nicole’s nipple. She felt the vibrations from Nicole’s hum in response as she neatly dragged her lips and tongue in between Nicole’s thighs. She allowed her mouth to explore where it felt right and wrong, her indication of what she was doing corrected by the small movements of Nicole’s hands in her hair accompanied by her moans. The taste was as sweet as vanilla, it left her craving more. She felt the build-up before the collapse of Nicole’s body, its stride to feel as much as possible before it came to an end.

 

Waverly couldn’t help but smile as she kissed upward to her girlfriend’s lips before her body gave out and fell to the side of her, the both of them panting. Waverly’s view was stuck on Nicole as she came down from her high,

 

“How was that?”

 

“ _That_.” Nicole repeated the last word almost laughing, turning her head to face Waverly, “ _Now that was… incredible.”_

 

Waverly smiled, the pair of eyes in front of her displaying nothing but affection and magnetising care. She knew in this moment there was no going back; she had found her person. Caught in a trance of admiration she replied back with a whisper,

 

“ _You’re incredible_.”

 

They embraced once more before they held each other in their arms. The comfort of their skin up against each other relaxed their bodies and minds. Without realisation, they drifted to sleep; Waverly’s head against Nicole’s chest, feeling the rise and fall of her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment if you feel like, i always love reading them <3
> 
> follow my twitter: @earperfreak


	7. The Fey and The Fool Fidget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been a while huh, since last updating i've finished high school and gone into collage so it's been a bit of a shift in routine and i haven't updated. i made this chapter longer than the rest in hopes it could make up for my absence.
> 
> (unfortunately i don't have time to do a detailed edit as i wanted to get this out as soon as possible, so sorry if there are mistakes)

**Chapter Seven: The Fey and the Fool Fidget**

Waverly awoke to the small beams of gold that escaped out of the thin white curtain in front of Nicole’s bedroom window. She smiled at the warmth that hit her bare back, her view shifted from the window to the girl consumed by slumber besides her. She laid on her stomach, the blanket positioned diagonally across her back from under her left arm to her right hip, her right hand was placed on Waverly’s waist. Her hair glowed like flames as the sun hit it them, her lips were slightly parted, breath drawing quietly. Waverly couldn’t help but be caught up in pure bliss as she looked at the girl, the touch of her hand on her side felt like security, the invincible feeling within falling, knowing no matter the height, she would be there to catch her. She raised her view slightly to see the alarm clock on Nicole’s side, the time reading 5:50. Waverly brushed the hair away from Nicole’s lips as she kissed her lightly, feeling the slight flinch of Nicole’s hand and lips as she woke to the touch, her grip becoming more shaped to the curve of Waverly’s waistline, pulling her in slightly. Her eyes opened to see the brunette in front of her, her eyes tired and peaceful, her smile radiating light around the room.

 

“Hi.” Waverly whispered, their faces so close to one another her lips lightly brushed against Nicole’s, making her smile.

 

“Hey.” She replied, kissing her lightly before asking, “What time is it?”

 

“Early. I’ve got work today so I’ve got to get going home to change.”

 

“I’ll take you.” Nicole replied as Waverly sat up.

 

Waverly’s eyes followed Nicole as she sat up, holding onto the sheets lightly so her chest was covered, “Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah it’s…” her mind got caught up in itself as the sun glowed around the upper half of Waverly’s body, her hair having an array of blond around the edges, falling down to the small shadows created by her abs, “it’s no problem.”

 

Waverly smiled, she knew what had Nicole’s attention. She dragged her hand along the bed to Nicole’s exposed back, her hand running up the landscape of her being, reaching the curve before her head. She lightly brushed Nicole’s lips with her own before kissing towards her ear to suddenly stop and whisper, “Thank you.”

 

Leaving Nicole longing for her touch once more, she slid herself to the edge of the bed before pulling the sheets off. Her hand pulled against the curtain, exposing the view of the rays of light coming from the sunrise, feeling the warmth hitting her bare skin.

 

Nicole tried to give her privacy as the girl walked around the room as she did, picking up items of clothing and swapping for what was each others before putting the items on.

 

“This yours?” Nicole smiled with a shirt in hand.

 

“Yeah.” Waverly whispered, the touch of one another felt through the fabric as she took the top.

 

Nicole smiled before turning to head downstairs to the kitchen, Waverly following a little further back as she adjusted how her top was sitting on her body. Waverly reaches the kitchen to hear a small click, followed by the sound of water boiling from a kettle. Nicole asks if she wants a drink, Waverly points out the box of peppermint tea. Nicole pours two cups and gives one to her, they sit next to one another as Calamity Jane wraps her tail around the girls legs as she walks around the house. The room is filled with idyllic silence, just like the car ride back to Waverly’s house. Nicole walks her to the front door just like the time before. Their hands are interlocked, bodies so close they slightly bump one another with each step they took, strolling along the dirt path to the entrance of Waverly’s abode. The clearness of the earth upon them grew as the heavenly glow of the sun crept out from behind the fogged clouds that rested on the horizon.

 

They kissed goodbye at the foot of the steps, then again on the first, and second and third. Nicole brushed her hair away from Waverly’s face before pulling her away from the door she held open to the homestead. Their lips were soft against one another, timid and understanding with the desire of each touch growing larger and longer.

 

“I’ll see you tonight.” Waverly spoke with her eye’s still closed between a kiss.

 

“Tonight.” Nicole reassured her, smiling as the door of the homestead closed lightly to not wake Wynonna up.

 

Waverly eventually made it to her room, moving around the house in a swerving pattern to miss all of the spots the floorboard creaked. She changed her clothes into something comfortable yet suitable for work, something that wasn’t last nights’ clothes that would make Wynonna start chanting _walk of shame_ to make her feel weird. There was one thing Wynonna always had the ability of doing; and it was spotting who had the morning after glow that shone on peoples faces. During high school she would whisper into Waverly’s ear who _got some_ or _got none_ whilst they walked into school, passing their peers and teaches which she analysed.

 

Waverly completely redid her hair and make up before opening Wynonna’s door yelling in her cheery voice, “’Nonna, we’re out in five!”

 

“No-” She groaned back, throwing the sheets and pillows around the bed before stopping Waverly from walking away, “wait. You’re chirpy.”

 

“I’m always chirpy, Wynonna.” She answered sarcastically.

 

Wynonna got out of bed pointing her finger towards her sister who looked a little too perfect for 6:30, even for her.

 

“No- well yes, but not _this_ chirpy.” She paused momentarily, Waverly not breaking as she prepared for any question Wynonna was about to bring up, “What time did you get home last night?”

 

“One.”

 

“I didn’t hear a car.”

 

“I told her to drop me off at the end of the road.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because she was tired and you would have asked her a million questions like you are right now.”

 

_Hmm_ , Wynonna moaned. Waverly knew the change in her appearance from last night was convincing her sister she spoke the truth as she skipped down the stairs towards the kitchen to pick up some breakfast for the car ride, she yelled back with glee, “Four minutes!”

 

Twenty minutes later Wynonna finally makes her way to the drivers’ seat of the car to see Waverly holding out an apple for her to eat. She grins at the girl as she starts up the car, annoyingly grunting as juice runs from the apple onto the girls’ shirt after taking a crunch out of the apple. She wipes her shirt with her hand in a failed attempt to dry it. Waverly starts giggling silently.

 

“Don’t start.” Wynonna says, slightly smiling at the sight of her sister’s happiness.

 

Waverly laughed at the slight stain the apple left, “Well it wouldn’t show if it weren’t for you choosing to wear a clean white shirt for the first time in your life.”

 

“Shut up.” Wynonna blushed as she knew she had put in an extra effort to look half decent today, “Is Rosita going to be there?”

 

_Hmm_ , Waverly questioned at the familiar name.

 

“Your best friend, Rosita, is she going to be in today?” Wynonna repeated, dragging out the sounds in every word to make sure Waverly heard properly.

 

“I’m not sure, her party is tonight so she might be taking the day off.” Waverly replies to then hear a small look of disappointment appear on Wynonna’s face, “Why?”

 

“Oh, no reason. Just wondering.”

 

Waverly’s eyes slightly squint at her sister, but her mind wonders off to other subjects and questions as she decides to not question why Wynonna would have asked in the first place.

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

Wynonna watches Waverly walk to her desk in the distance, her hair sways from side to side as she greets almost every staff member she walks past. _The smile and wave, I guess she’s still got it,_ Wynonna smiles to herself as she steps closer to the small desk with a student working for community service hours.

 

Her voice sounds as enthusiastic as possible for a few minutes past seven, “How can I help you, ma’am?”

 

Wynonna’s body cringes at the sound of the word being used to describe her, “Ma’am? I’m not- anyway, I’m looking for Ros- uh, Ms Bustillos. Is she here?”

 

“I haven’t seen her walk in. Would you like me to double check her desk for you?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Wynonna replies trying not to make a big deal out of it.

 

A few seconds later Wynonna faintly hears her sisters voice talking to the student, “Carter, tell my sister I already told her she wasn’t coming in today… and also that she needs to buy something for Rosita if she thinks she’s going anywhere tonight.”

 

Wynonna rolls her eyes grinning as she sees the teenager walking back towards her, “Don’t worry, kid, I heard it all.”

 

They smile politely at one another as they get ready to go their own ways before Wynonna bumps into someone as she begins to turn a corner. She begins to apologise respectfully before she realises who it was,

 

“Doc?”

 

He looks at her shocked, Wynonna sees something more in his eyes, “Hey Wynonna. Why are you here?”

 

“I was just looking for Rosita but she isn’t in.”

 

A moment of silence passes as Wynonna realises the state his in. His eyes are tired, but not just because it early, like they’ve been strained, they’re accompanied by the dark circles under his eyes. He is dressed differently than usual, his clothes are looser and more casual. His hair is slightly scruffy, as is his moustache.

 

“How are you?” She asks quietly.

 

His response is quick and blunt, like he’s rehearsed it, “Fine.”

 

“Cut the bullshit, Doc,” Her voice is straight forward and filled with care, “I can see you’re not the same as last time I saw you-“

 

“Can we not do this now, Wynonna.” His voice shakes and cracks, “Please.”

 

She was standing in front of a man who was as fragile as glass. His eyes watered slightly as he spoke, avoiding all eye contact as he looked at the plastic coated floors of the hallway underneath him. Wynonna exhales understandingly,

 

“Alright. I’ll call you later, we’re planning a time to talk about this. I’m not going to let it go this time and it’s not going to turn into training sessions. We need to talk.”

 

“Okay.”

 

They hug one another briefly before going their separate ways. Wynonna knew he was strong, but handling emotions on his own was his weakness. He had placed himself back in the well without realising it, and she was over it. The cone of silence was coming off, for the both of them.

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

The echo of the bell rings around the building as the students swiftly begin to pick up their belongings to leave the class. Waverly begins to rub Latin phrases off of the board, listening to the array of her students walk past her back and out the door, every few thanking her for the class which she returned with a thanks for attendance. Just as she thought everyone had left and she completed erasing the work from the lesson, she hears the small taps of shoes against the floor. She turns to see Carter; she wears a small smile on her face yet her eyes were as tired as she saw them in the morning, possible worse.

 

“You look chipper today.” Carter teases.

 

Waverly rolls her eyes at the choice of words similar to Wynonna’s, she smiles as she begins to put the belongings on her desk into a pile,” I’ve had good days, I guess this is the after effect.”

 

“I’m glad,” Carter smiles, her eyes only slightly move with her facial expression, falling quickly, “Can I join you and the squad again this afternoon at Shorty’s?”

 

Waverly begins to note how Carter is faking her happy, “Of course you can, you’re always welcome.”

 

She nods shyly, speaking before she begins to walk to the door that remained open into the hallway, “Thank you, Ms Earp.”

 

As the girls’ ponytail swings, she sees a small circular bruise peak out from behind her tops collar, “Carter?”

 

_Hmm_ , she replies, one hand holding the doorframe, only turning her head to see Waverly’s face.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She questions gesturing to the bruise.

 

“I just got hit with a football. I’m fine, Waverly, really. I’ll see you later.”

 

Before Waverly could say anything else, Carter slipped out of the frame of the doorway, her sight completely gone from Waverly within milliseconds, leaving her unconvinced.

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

The noise of the crowd at Shorty’s was slightly louder than usual, there was the usuals, teens who had finished their team sports filling up on their lost energy with fries and drink, but there was an array of people passing through town who had stopped to see the place where Wyatt Earp drank, and how it had changed over the years. The cheerleaders ran off to their usual booths as Waverly made her way to the one next to the door, giving Nicole a shy smile and wink as she caught her eye before looking out the window to observe her surroundings.

 

Carter wondered up to the counter with a list of the orders in hand, as she passed it to Lonnie her attention fell to the redhead who was taking off her apron, walking towards the staff door from behind the counter, “Hey, Nicole.”

 

Nicole smiled at the sight of Waverly once more before drawing her attention to the girl, she fails at concealing her blush once her mind reminds her of the wink she gave only moments before, “Hey, Carter.”

 

Carter’s eyes squint slightly at Nicole’s expression, “I’m sorry, is it national happiness day today and no one filled me in?”

 

“What?” Nicole laughs in confusion.

 

“Everyone’s got a glow about them today, you, and Waverly,” she pauses for a moment, “actually it’s kind of just you and Waver- oh MY GOD!”

 

Waverly looks up slightly confused at the expression that Carter gave off. As the girl puts the pieces and her mind together, Nicole quickly grabs her by her arm and drags her into the employee room filled with lockers, leaving Waverly clueless as to what conversation just occurred.

 

The sound of _Lay It Down by Ratt_ echoes into the room as Nicole begins to go through her locker, Carter leans against her own, “So-“

 

“No, no so’s, okay.” Nicole speaks with a slightly higher pitch than usual, her bashfulness flies across her face as she closes the locker door with her car keys in hand.

 

“Oh, come on! Please! If you don’t tell anything now I’ll just end up bombarding you with questions next week when you come over for that interview I have to do for my lit paper instead of focusing on the actual questions.”

 

Nicole was silent for a second, she knew Carter, and she knew she defiantly wouldn’t let this one go, “Okay, fine.”

 

Carter bounced up slightly as she slightly squealed before whispering, “Did the two of you…”

 

Her voice was suggestive to the maximum, Nicole bit her lips, her mind running through every moment of the night before, how she had never felt happier, how she had never felt that safe. She nodded her head as her lips released from their hold.

 

Carter smiled wide, “So?”

 

“So?” Nicole repeats back shyly.

 

“How was it?” She laughed as the words fell out of her mouth.

 

Nicole felt like a teenager again, these were the conversations she heard from her old friends and went along with, but she never truly understood what the big deal was and why everyone got so excited; until now,

 

“It was just… everything and more.”

 

They giggle and talk for a while longer before exiting the locker room, Waverly smiles at Carter when she walks past her to go join the cheerleaders, she giggles in response. Waverly’s eyes widen as Nicole sits down smiling.

 

“What?” Nicole laughs as she picks up a chip from the plate, swiftly throwing it into her mouth.

                                             

“No what-ing me, what did they two of you talk about?” She questioned happily whilst taking a a few chips into her grasp.

 

Nicole flashed a cocky smirk, “Oh, nothing.”

 

Carter reaches the girls, taking a sip of her water before joining on their conversation. A girl with dusty blond hair catches her up, “We were talking about Waverly and Nicole, we were all saying how they seem like the best friends in the world.”

 

_Oh God, how am I not going to laugh at this,_ Carter thinks as she smiles and nods.

 

Another cheerleader adds on, “They seem like they’ve known each other their whole lives; like sisters.”

 

_Scissor sisters_ , Carter laughs quietly to herself.

 

“I wish I can have a relationship like that with someone someday.” The blond girl comments.

 

“So do I.” Carter grins as she begins to gulp her water down.

 

Waverly laughs a little at Nicole’s confidence before her tone changes, she begins to fiddle with the straw in her milkshake as her mind spirals. Nicole realises the worry in the girls face, she speaks in a slight panic, “Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No, no…” Waverly reassures her before she stops fiddling, takes a deep breath and draws her full attention to the redhead, “You talked to Carter-“

 

“Yeah?”

 

Waverly’s voice slightly deepened as she leant in to speak quieter, “Did you see the bruise on her neck?”

 

Nicole felt her stomach dropped as her eyes darted to the girl across the room, seeing her smiles that faded quicker than the others around her, “No.”

 

“She said she got hit by a football; I don’t believe it.” Waverly added, bringing the straw to her mouth.

 

“I’ll ask her about it later when I go to her house, so it’s not in public.” Nicole added as Waverly gave an agreeing side smile.

 

After a moment of seriousness, they fell back into their light hearted conversation; talking about their day to that point and movies they want to go see. They begin to talk about what time Nicole is going to pick Waverly up for Rosita’s party tonight as the doors to Shorty’s open forcefully.

 

The woman who entered instantly spread discomfort in everyone in the diner. There was a presence about her that was agitated and unbalanced. Her ebony hair hung in front of her pale white skin as she walked directly to the table of cheerleads where the volleyball player sat. Almost immediately she began questioning her in a loud and harsh voice, the fear in Carter’s eyes was extremely apparent to the brunette and auburn haired girls.

 

Her mothers hand landing on the table in front of Carter made her flinch, her voice stung like poison form a snake as she hissed, “I told you to come home immediately, you said you were at volleyball practice.”

 

Carter’s voice was quiet, “Thana, I told you that I come here after because I usually have work after practise anyway.”

 

“Do you have work today?” She questioned.

 

Carter was silent for a moment before she tried to answer with the most confidence she could find in her body, “No.”

 

A lot of the children watched the events play out, many of them knew her as the woman who had caught the _crazy-old-woman’s_ disease about thirty years to early. Thana pulled her arm to force the girl out of her seat before using her fingers to push her back towards the door. Carter’s eye’s stayed glued to the floor from her seat at Shorty’s till she was out the door. After a moment of silence, everyone went about their own conversations, commenting on how even her generation of Purgatory residence thought something was wrong with her. Waverly and Nicole look at one another as the events that just occurred process within their minds.

 

“I’m starting to think those bruises weren’t from a football either.” Nicole comments.

 

They both sit in an uncomfortable agreement as they watch the car Carter’s in zoom past the window booth they sit in.

 

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

Wynonna stands at the edge of the footpath outside of Rosita’s house; there’s a few people outside talking and holding red cups, coloured lights escape from behind the curtains and shine outside the window, the curtain creating silhouettes of the people dancing inside. She can’t tell if her heart is racing at a million miles per hour of if it’s just the vibration from the sneer drum in _The Ballroom Blitz by Sweet_ basting at full volume from the speakers. She breathed in unsteadily and grasped the handle to the bottle of Tequila with a red ribbon around it a little tighter before begging a half confident half terrified stride to the front door.

 

Opening the front door, she realised she had never felt this nervous to be at a party before, she usually was able to walk into a room with drinks as confident and free as a bird falling from a tree with it’s wings spread, but tonight it was different. This wasn’t just any party, it was Rosita’s. The person who made her heart the lightest it’s ever been, the girl that was her gravity which made her fall so quickly.

 

The faces Wynonna is able to make out through the room barely lit are ones she is familiar with; they were all people from high school, some of them siblings of people she knew. In the hallway next to the living room where the majority of people were dancing stood a table full of alcohol. She spotted three shot glasses on there own next to a bottle of Jack Daniels, not being able to shake her nerves off was starting to get to her. She swiftly poured the shots and took them all in a matter of seconds, hoping it would starts effecting her agitations soon.

 

When she entered the room, bottle in hand, she saw her sister and her girlfriend sitting on a couch besides the wall behind a table full of more drinks and snacks. As she got closer to them she almost gagged on her own tongue once she realised how far up Waverly’s hand was moving on Nicole’s thigh, and how much Nicole was blushing and smiling at her.

 

“Hey little sis,” Wynonna smiled before immediately turning to the girl besides her, “Hey little red, say, where did you go to get a blush colour that matches your hair?”

 

Waverly rolls her eyes whilst smiling and moves her hand as Nicole speaks with a cocky smile, “It’s that pharmacy around the corner from the station, I think you know it considering I saw you walk out from the back with an employee one time.”

 

Waverly eyes widen as she laughs, “’Nonna, I think you just got burnt.”

 

Wynonna rolls her eyes, “Okay, calm down, she might be Haught-stuff but that was nowhere near something fire.”

 

Nicole smiles as her slightly drunk self points a finger gun at Wynonna, “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

 

Wynonna rolls her eyes once more before gesturing to the bottle in her hand, “Have you seen Rosita?”

 

“I think she went to the bathroom, why?” Nicole answered.

 

“Well I just got here and I have her gift.”

 

“Go to her bedroom, she’s probably up there.” Waverly grinned, her attention falling back onto her girlfriend.

 

“Careful you two, not everyone here is completely blind to see what’s going on here.” Wynonna pointed at the two of them before she rolled her eyes once more as the rest of her body followed in the opposite direction of the two girls.

 

The track changed to _Birthday by The Sugarcubes_ as Wynonna reached the top of the stairs. There were the odd group here and there, most people sat on furniture or were up against walls making out. She would usually be one of those people, trying to make some sort of connection to anyone, clinging onto the first one that showed an interest. She used to be one of those people, but she had somehow created a connection before they had even touched. She walked towards the end of the hallway where her room was.

 

She locked the door behind her as she entered, she looked around the room, it was simple and cosy. Her walls were painted a calming maroon colour that were covered in parts by posters of musicians that were both familiar and unfamiliar. She began to look at some of the photos on the girls wall of her family and friends as her ears adjusted to not being right next to the source of were the music was coming from.

 

As the small ringing in her ears left she heard a small sniffle come from the ensuite. She walked up to the door that was besides the closet and knocked, after a small moment she heard a girl reply,

 

“Whoever it is, please go back downstairs.”

 

Her voice was slightly raspy, one that sounded familiar. Wynonna opened the door slowly to see Rosita standing in front of her sink, she looked at her through the reflection of the mirror placed at an eye level. She could tell Rosita had reapplied her make up, there were one or two small dots of mascara on her eyelids. Her eyes were strained and red from the tears. Rosita’s face changed when she realised it was Wynonna, she didn’t want her seeing her like this.

 

“Lesley Gore did say ‘it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want you’, but I think you might have forgotten the key word is _want_ and not _have to_.” Wynonna joked with the girl as she lent against the doorframe.

 

Rosita showed a smile that was felt with gilt before replying the only way she knew, “You would cry to if it happened to you.”

 

Wynonna smiled and held up the bottle, “Happy twenty-first birthday… again. It’s nothing special but-”

 

Rosita turned around and took the bottle out of the girls’ hand, “ _Gran Centenario_ , it’s my favourite. Thank you, Wynonna.”

 

She walked over to the desk in her room that was filled with random birthday bags and cards from others. Rosita’s stayed at the desk and looked down at it, she fiddled her thumb on the corner of the wood in order to try to distract herself from crying.

 

“Why are you crying?” Wynonna questioned quietly, not moving from where she stood a few feet away.

 

Rosita turned around to face the girl, Wynonna’s face was full of concern which made her feel even more guilty for crying in front of her, “Why are you here, Wynonna?”

 

“It’s your birthday.” Wynonna answered.

 

Rosita rolled her eyes with a glimpse of playfulness and crossed her arms which pulled her back to hunch slightly, “You saw me on my birthday already, my actual birthday. So, why are you here?”

 

“I wanted to talk… about the other night.” Wynonna replied as she followed Rosita who moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

 

Rosita’s heart skipped before beating slightly faster than usual, a tear escaped her eye before she answered, “What about it?”

 

Wynonna back is bent closer to her legs as she rests her arms on top of her knees, she bounces her leg a few times before she begins to speak, “I just… I need to know what it all meant, was it just… did it mean the same to you as it did to me?”

 

Tears slowly escape, she looks down at the girl, staring directly into her eyes with fear as each word falls out of her mouth with sound barely escaping her lips, “I don’t think I’m what you want.”

 

Rosita goes to get up, but Wynonna places her hand on top of hers which freezes her movements. They look at one another for a moment, Wynonna’s pupils grow as the light from the room reflects off of them onto the girls’ eyes.

 

“What are you thinking? Tell me, whatever it is, you can tell me.” Wynonna reassures her as she begins to rub her thumb along the line of the crease of Rosita’s thumb and index finger.

 

Rosita looks down at her hand movements, she takes comfort in the feeling, “It just seems like the world is telling me that we shouldn’t be like this and that I shouldn’t be like this-“

 

“That’s the world telling you,” Wynonna repeats, “but what are you telling yourself?”

 

“That my parents are right, I’m cursed, and I’m going to end up ruining every life around me; my family’s, my friend’s, your’s-“

 

Wynonna saw the girls’ emotions building up to the point of explosion, “Hey, hey; listen to me,” she grasped both of the tanned girls’ hands into her own, “They’re wrong, because so far having you in my life has made it clearer and brighter. God, I really, really like you Rosita. I know that makes me sound kind of like a kid, but I’ve never felt like this before; never in this way, so intensely and quickly. Everything about you- I can’t help it, I mean… look at you.”

 

Both Rosita and Wynonna could feel the forceful feeling of their chests rising and falling as one another are brought slightly closer together by the magnetised pull of the other’s emotions. Rosita’s eyes were glued onto the sight of Wynonna’s lips which are slightly parted, breath gliding along them both as they slightly parted.

 

“Wynonna, I…” her mind conflicts with her heart, “I-“, her mind is screaming _can’t_ , but her body was deaf when she grasped the girls’ face within the palms of her hands, pulling her so close she could feel the wind from Wynonna’s inhales and exhales, “The things… the things I want to do with you… I think it might be wrong if we do,” she whispered as her lips we’re less than centimetres apart from Wynonna’s.

 

There was a moment of silence, the music downstairs had ended and there was a small ringing in their ears. Wynonna’s breath staggered as her whisper became the one thing that broke the white noise of the absence of song, “Do them.”

 

_The Beatles’ Across the Universe_ begins to play from the speakers below. Rosita searched her whole heart for a reason why she shouldn’t, but she found nothing, she found no reason to hold back. Wynonna resisted her needs and allowed Rosita to make the first move, she patiently waits for her, her eyes stayed in a blurred focus to the girls’ lips. Rosita loses all control over her body as it speaks what it’s been wanting to do since junior year, what her mind would wonder to think every time she passed the girl in aunt Gus’s house, every time she passed her in the school hallway, the seven minutes they shared.

 

The girls body sunk as her parted lips pressed and pulled amongst Wynonna’s, she could feel her core tense up as it craved more of the feeling, it only allowed a release as her kiss deepened and her body curved closed to Wynonna’s, her tongue finding it’s way to make Wynonna’s crave her in the same way she felt about her. Wynonna’s pulled at the girls’ hair which was slightly tangled around her fingers, she hadn’t realise how much she needed to feel this way with someone. It was the feeling she never quite understood until this moment; the feeling when the person you’re crushing on shows a hint of interest, when they respond with similar feelings to your own. The way Rosita’s body danced with her own as both their hands moved in synchronicity to feel one another’s backs and necks.

 

Wynonna’s body began to lean back onto the inviting bed as Rosita guided her to do so before the handle of her door began to turn. It took them a moment to realise someone was twisting and turning the door nob. Once the initial panic of them opening the door left after realising it was locked, they looked at one another momentarily with fear, they watch each others faces change to smiles, followed by silent fits of laughter full of relief.

 

“Rosita?” They heard from the other side of the door.

 

“No way-“, Wynonna whispered as the voice continued.

 

“Waverly said she’s getting the cake ready-“, She began to talk as Wynonna began to whisper again.

 

“Oh that little-“

 

“Yeah, Nicole, I’ll be down in five!” Rosita yelled out as she put her hand over Wynonna’s mouth as she mumbled.

 

They heard the girl footsteps get quieter and quieter after giving them the okay. They both smiled at one another as they quickly looked in the mirror, adjusting their hair and clothes to look neater.

 

“I guess you really can’t disappear from the party when you’re the host, huh?” Rosita smiled.

 

“I’m pretty sure you can, but when you’re the birthday girl; now that’s a different story.” They stood only slightly apart from one another, Wynonna brushed the hair in front of the girls face to behind her ear as she smiled.

 

It was silent for a moment, Rosita felt the feelings bubbling in her blood again before she spoke, “I think we have to go down.”

 

Wynonna grasped the girls hand in her own, they interlocked their fingers as they made their way down the stares to where the party was.

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

Waverly weaves in and out of people as she balanced who plates of strawberry cake slices in her hands, slowly making her way to the front door which allowed entrance outside where Nicole was siting on the barricade of the veranda. Except she isn’t alone when she sees her. Her and the woman she’s talking wrap their conversation almost as soon as Waverly gets there, they share a quick hug before she makes her way to the door. She smiles politely at Waverly before noticing her struggle with opening a door and holding to plates, she opened up the door more and held it for her,

 

“Let me get that for you.”

 

“Thank you.” Waverly answers back politely.

 

The tanned girl nods before entering back inside, leaving Waverly and Nicole the only people outside from the rest of the party. Waverly passes Nicole her plate of cake which she immediately begins eating,

 

“So good, thanks babe.” She smiled whist licking the cream off of her lips.

 

Waverly lightly smiled in response to her girlfriends’ comment. Her mind kept spiralling as people began to leave, the house was mainly empty and the music had been turned down slightly.

 

Her curiosity got the best of her as she asked, “Who was that girl you were talking to?”

 

“Oh, that was, uh-” Nicole swallowed once more to make sure her mouth was clear of cake so she would have to repeat herself, “that was Shae.”

 

“Shae…” Waverly thinks for a while before she remembers a brief conversation Nicole had about the only other person she had been with, “Oh, Shae.”

 

Nicole could read Waverly’s emotions like a book, she spoke with reassurance “Yeah, she just got her degree and moved back into town.”

 

Waverly fiddled her spork in the cake, breaking it up into random pieces, “She settling in okay?”

 

“Oh I think she’s more than okay,” Nicole laughs, “She said she’s already seeing someone and she feels at home at the hospital.”

 

The small voice of insecurity in Waverly’s voice faded as she heard Nicole’s words, her authentic smile fell back onto her face, “That’s good to hear.”

 

 

“Hey.” Nicole put her plate down on the floor and did the same with Waverly’s before holding her hands in her own, her eye’s not leaving Waverly’s sight, “She’s my ex, yeah, but it’s not a problem or anything, okay?”

 

Waverly noticed her eyes as they smiled kindly, “Are you sure?”

 

“Yes; we moved our separate ways naturally and she’s happy now… so am I.”

 

Waverly is silent for a moment, her mind at first doesn’t believe the words that fall out of Nicole’s smiled lips. All she ever wanted to do was make sure those she cared for were able to be happy, those she felt love for. Waverly’s smile grew wider and wider as she wrapped her arms around the back of the girls’ neck, quickly kissing her lips before pulling her her in for a hug. The feeling of Nicole’s arms wrapping around her lower waist, her fingers lightly circulating around the exposed skin around her midriff which made her feel at home.

 

Their embrace was unfortunately cut short as the front door opens and slams shut behind the boy who entered through it. His balance is off as he stumbles towards the two girls, his eye’s set on the smaller one.

 

“Hey babe,” he spoke slurring his words as he goes to hug the girl, Nicole immediately moves slightly in front of her as he continues to speak, “time to stop talking to your friend here, I’m ready to go.”

 

“Champ…” Waverly’s voice is quiet yet it was the most serious Nicole had ever heard it as she steps forward slightly to be closer to him, “we aren’t together anymore, sweetheart. That ended a long time ago.”

 

Champs face seems puzzled as he gazes into the distance putting the pieces together, his memory blurred with different words and emotions. He starts to walk down the porch stairs and onto the path in front of Rosita’s house.

 

Waverly’s voice was small and full of worry and disappointment, searching for anyone that could help, “He’s drunk, Nicole.”

 

Nicole quickly moves to catch up with him in case he did something he would have regretted. Waverly joins her as she sees the boy stumble over his own loss of balance and falls onto the lawn. They both look over him as he begins to realise he had fallen. Waverly crouches down and turns him over to face upright.

 

“Do I not mean anything to you?” His voice was still slurred but full of confusion and hurt, a voice Waverly was familiar with yet it still effected by.

 

Nicole places her hand on Waverly’s shoulder as she speaks, “You did, Champ, but things have changed. I’ve moved on, Champ, _this_ isn’t going to happen.”

 

Champ’s mind slowly turned like rusted clockwork before his eye’s loosened a little as he came to a realisation, “So, what are you; a lesbian now?”

 

Nicole quickly looked around in instinct to see if anyone heard. They were the only ones outside. Waverly loosely rolled her eyes as she replied, “There’s a lot more than liking one type of person, Champ-”

 

“Can I just ask something then?” He said politely. It was the first time in a while were he had spoken in a soft tone, Nicole squizzed her shoulder as Waverly nodded, “Was what we had fake?”

 

“No, not at first. I changed, and so did you… Champ, listen, I know whenever I mention it you always say no, but please, just listen. I think you should consider going to see someone.”

 

He takes note of her words and keeps calm in his reply, “What?”

 

“Listen Champ,” Nicole chimes in whilst her thumb runs along Waverly’s shoulder to keep her calm, “it’s not just you who comes to the station in a state similar to this, but we know of a program, and I- _we_ really think it would be best if you signed up.”

 

“What? Like A.A?” Champ joked.

 

Waverly and Nicole fell silent as the last few people from the party walked past them to their cars. She remained eye contact with him as she nodded seriously. He looked down at the grass besides him thinking as the sounds of laughter, car doors closing and tires turning faded into the distance. It felt like within a second he sobered up, and became the most serious Waverly had ever seen him, his words sounded like his heart was speaking,

 

“Are you happy?”

 

Waverly bit her bottom lip as her eyes watered slightly, she held her hand out and grasped his wrist with it as she began to nod, holding back the force of the pulling of her throat from feeling overwhelmed she answered, “I am, Champ, I really am… and I really do believe that if you get help, you could make someone as happy as I am.”

 

He smiled at the both of them as they helped him up off of the ground, he still stumbles slightly but not as bad as beforehand. He gave Waverly a hug and whispered a quick _thank you_ in her ear, words she previously hadn’t heard in his voice. He then hugged Nicole, which she wasn’t expecting yet accepted.

 

As he pulled away he added, “I’ll take that info’ by the way. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

 

They talk for a brief moment to decide how they’re getting home, Champ said he had travelled by foot which wasn’t a reliable way to get home so they chose to give him a lift,

 

“So who’s car?” Waverly asked.

 

Nicole replied, “Well you still have Wynonna-“

 

“Hey assholes!” Wynonna yelled opening the door and jogging up to where they stood, “Most people are gone and there’s a giant fucking mess so I’m going to help Rosie..ta clean.”

 

Waverly laughed a little as her eyes playfully rolled, “Since when do you ever help anyone do anythi-“

 

“Since all I got her was some alcohol and I feel bad because it wasn’t a good enough present.”

 

Waverly lightly rolls her eyes as she knows there’s nothing wrong with the present, “Wynonna-“

 

“Guess we’re all taking my car then.” Nicole points out as she puts Champs arm around her shoulders as she leads him to the back seat of the car.

 

Waverly looks over Wynonna’s shoulder and waves as she yells out, “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

 

Wynonna turns to see Rosita leaning against the door frame, she has her arms crossed and is balancing on one leg at the other is bent in front of it. She nods before replying, “Fine, I won’t flunk this time.”

 

Nicole says her goodbye’s to the birthday girl once Champ is in the car whilst Waverly checks in with Wynonna, “Are you okay? You seem to be overthinking the slightest things and you know I told you to tell me if your anxiety starts-“

 

“No, no,” Wynonna interrupts, “trust me, this is the most ‘okay’ I’ve been in a long time. Go be with your… wait you are girlfriends, right?”

 

“Yes,” Waverly laughed, “I don’t think we could have gone this long without saying that.”

 

“Go,” Wynonna smirked, “you said yourself that Rosita was kind of out of it because of everything with her family. I wanna’ make sure she’s not alone.”

 

Waverly looks over the girls’ shoulder once more; Rosita is in the same position yet her focus had fallen to her mind as her eye’s were drifting around the floor in front of her. Rosita was deep in thought. Waverly understood in the same way Wynonna did how hard losing the connections with family was.

 

She smiled and nodded at her sister before giving her a hug goodbye before yelling out bye to her best friend as she closed the door to the car. Almost immediately the car begins to roll away from the house, Rosita was just able to make out the silhouettes of Waverly and Nicole’s hands waving goodbye from within the car, she waved back as she walked back into the house and held the front door open for Wynonna for when she walked through.

 

“You know,” Rosita said closing the door as Wynonna entered, “the tequila was an amazing present- you really didn’t have to get me anything.”

 

The sound of the door locking was slightly louder than the record player speakers that made _You’ve Got a Friend by James Taylor_ sound like white noise. Rosita turned around, her back lightly rested up against the door, her light brown eyes showed her soul smiling softly at Wynonna. Wynonna felt a magnetising pull from the girl’s presence as she walked forward slightly to be close to her,

 

Her voice was a whisper, “Are you sure?”

 

Rosita bit her bottom lip lightly as she looked at Wynonna’s before switching her focus to her eyes, she nodded her head whilst smiling; from the moment in the bedroom until now, their night had consisted on small glances from across the room and brief touches on hands against one another as they walked by each other. The whole night Wynonna had just wanted her and nothing more.

 

Wynonna smiled, Rosita pulled the back of the girls’ neck to pull her the girl closer to her. The foreheads briefly touched before Rosita had a last moment panic; she knew she wanted her so badly but internalised thoughts blurred her clarity,

 

“Wynonna, I’ve changed a lot since when we we’re closer; since I was sixteen. I’m not sure I’m still what you want.”

 

Wynonna opened her eyes to look at the other girl; her forehead was still resting on hers yet her eyes were closed, her her fingers were grasping onto Wynonna’s hair behind her head. She was feeling, intensely, and Wynonna could read her like her soul was standing on the other side of a window. She was excited. She was scared. She was certain. She had doubts.

 

“Rosita…” Wynonna swallowed her words as reflex, she wasn’t used to opening up to people as something would always happen as soon as she did, someone would usually end up getting hurt, but with her if felt different, so she forced the words out, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I don’t think I’ve been this sure in my whole life- and I don’t want to force anything-“

 

“Wynonna-“ Rosita whispered with her eyes slightly opened to see the girl.

 

“-because if you feel forced into anything and you don’t want it-“

 

“Wynonna.” Rosita repeated, this time she caressed the girls bottom lip with her thumb which silences her, she feels her heavy breath against her skin, “ _Stop talking_.”

 

Wynonna’s mouth hung slightly open, the overwhelming feeling crept long her bones of a desperate want for the person who stood in front of her, her eyes holding a seriousness in them as they shifted from Wynonna’s view to her lips. Wynonna’s stillness from Rosita’s words allowed the girl to easily take action. Rosita took a step away from the door as her eye’s closed, her hands slightly directing Wynonna’s movement as she pressed her lips on the girl, the urge for more made her forcefully tug at them. As she kissed her, her body moved forward, as she pulled she would move backwards, creating a rhythm that Wynonna quickly got stuck in her head. The custom made record was silent momentarily before _I Want To Break Free by Queen_ began to play. Wynonna’s senses come back to her as she steps forward, her arms wrap around Rosita’s back as she comfortably stumbled back slightly, her back resting upon the wall next to the front door. Her mind ran as wild as her hands in that moment; moving up to the feeling of her toned shoulder blades down to the sides of her thigh. Wynonna’s right hand slightly pulled at the smoothness of the girls exposed skin from below her shorts, their lips parted momentarily as their bodies moved and adjusted, Rosita letting out a moan from the missing speech between lips. Wynonna stepped forward once more, her legs falling in between the girls’, her hand pulled once more as Rosita’s leg raised and wrapped around Wynonna’s lower back, completely closing the small gap that was between them. Wynonna’s head fell to the girls’ neck, her lips pulled at her pulse points, her body kept moving in time with what her body told her to do, her expression whimpering at Rosita’s movements. The tanned girl moved her hands from Wynonna’s upper back to the back of her head, holding it as the girl worked, her eyes and mouth opened as she raised her head to the ceiling, her mind becoming more certain before they closed from the overwhelming feeling Wynonna’s body caused on her own.

 

Wynonna’s head pulled back for a moment. Their visions took their time to focus back on one another properly. Rosita’s eyebrows were slightly scrunched, Wynonna could feel the intensity of the rise and fall of her Rosita’s chest against hers. She allowed her leg to slowly fall from the grasp around the girls’ waist. She kissed her once more, this time it was slower than the rest, but somehow it felt even more right. They parted, Rosita moved her hands from Wynonna’s hair to her hands, their touch meeting in between their bodies which we’re slightly swaying off balance. Rosita’s fingers interlocked with one of Wynonna’s hands as the others separated as Rosita began to walk towards the stairs, turning her body as she walked so her focus could stay on Wynonna for as long as possible. Wynonna grinned as they reached the steps, the both climbed the as quick as they could, small laughs escaping as their moods relaxed from the seriousness of before.

 

Opening the door to her room, Rosita turned and smiled at the girl, she held her cheeks as she kissed her, their lips only moved slightly from the wide smiles they held. Rosita fumbled her fingers on the hem of Wynonna’s t-shirt; they both picked up the message and began removing their clothing. Each movement they did was faster than the last, the desperation of one another’s touch grew each moment they we’re apart. Rosita dropped the shorts off of her feet and stood in her ebony underwear, she watched as the girl in front of her stripped the jeans she wore down her legs her maroon lace which concealed the areas Rosita so desperately wanted to know. She bit her bottom lip as her hands reached out to the girls’ waist and directed her to walk backwards to the edge of the bed. She pulled her in tight before they laid back on the bed, her hands moved to the girls’ shoulders as they adjusted themselves. Wynonna’s hands naturally fell to the small of the girls back and pulled her in closer, further their legs to be intertwined with one another.

 

Their reconnection of lips made Wynonna’s fingers dance along the girls back to the hooks of her bra, she undid them swiftly and felt them fall down to her chest. She sat her back up slightly as Rosita slid the straps off her arms. Wynonna couldn’t control her curious mind as her actions. Her fingertips skidded across her the curves of her chest as her tongue slid between the girls’ lips. Rosita’s movement grew as she heard the moan from Wynonna’s body release as she tasted the flavour of strawberry still that remained in her mouth. Her hands automatically moved to the hooks of her bra as she felt the French language of Wynonna on her own body, as soon as it unhooked she pulled it from the front, barely giving Wynonna a moment to realise what was happening. Rosita was able to catch her off guard as she pulled her in again, their skin touching places it hadn’t before, she made Wynonna’s body move wildly as her lips drew a line to the small of her neck. One of Rosita’s hands was interlocked with Wynonna’s, holding it above her head, the other began to draw lazy patterns down her chest to the centre of the only fabric left on Wynonna’s body. Her body rolled as she made her grip firmer causing Wynonna to release an exhaled cuss out of her mouth.

 

“Rosie-“ She mumbled, her breath was hard to control as were her words.

 

“ _Mhmm._ ” Rosita replied biting her lips so she could stop herself from acting to allow Wynonna to speak.

 

Wynonna stoked the ends of the girls hair as she spoke, “Are you sure you want to do this, thank you’re ready?”

 

“Yeah.” She whispered, “Are you?”

 

Wynonna looked into the girls’ eyes as she witnesses the glow of her pupils widen. A small twitch from Rosita’s fingers on the other side of the textile sent her body into a frenzy of deprivation. Her jaw dropped slightly as she began to nod, “I am.”

 

Rosita smiled at the sight that Wynonna was in, it was one she held onto like it was the last time she was ever going to see it. Wynonna pulled at the back of Rosita’s neck to connect her lips to hers, her tongue uncontrollably spoke to the girl as she adjusted where her hand rested, her fingers finding their way beneath the fabric.

 

The sensation drove Wynonna’s body and mind out of control, her loss of breath made her hold Rosita tighter to her, her fingernails scratched her shoulder blades as she kissed slightly in front of the nape of her neck. Rosita played the girl like an instrument she had already mastered, hitting every note on beat until she reached the highest she could.

 

Rosita’s name strained out of Wynonna’s body as she fell, her body immediately taking control. She wanted her to know how she made her feel, she wanted her to feel the same. Wynonna moaned as their bodies turned, the feeling stirred as gravity pulled Wynonna on top of the girl. Wynonna didn’t waste anytime; she could hear the girl pleading for the attention of her touch within her moans. Her hands moved quickly to feel the only area left which they hadn’t touched. Rosita breathed her name as her world felt like it was vanishing, the only thing she was certain about was Wynonna and the way she made her feel.

 

Rosita held her breath at her highest point, her fingertips pulling at the nape of Wynonna’s neck as the girl leant down slightly and communicated to her through the way her lips formed around her own.

 

They both fell to calm themselves of the overwhelming feelings. They laughed when they looked at one another, Wynonna traced her middle finger along the outline of the girl who laid on her side, biting her lip at the touch.

 

Wynonna spoke as she looked at the girls lips, “Rosita Bustillos.”

 

“Wynonna Earp.” Rosita smiled back.

 

Wynonna’s eyes softened, “You really are something else, aren’t you?”

 

Rosita’s eyes grew kind as she placed on hand over Wynonna’s ear, her thumb stroking the side of her cheek over her faint dimple. She kissed her sweetly; their heads resting next to one another as they drifted off into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoyed! feel free to leave a comment bc i love reading them and cheek out my one shots if you'd like <3
> 
> follow my twitter: @earperfreak


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